%%%% NOTE: If you want to add a trope that applies to only one character, please go to the Characters page.%%%% ALSO: If you want to add a trope that applies to only one episode, add it to that episode's recap in the Episode Guide.%%[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic/TropesAToB Tropes A to B]] | [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic/TropesCToD Tropes C to D]] | [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic/TropesEToK Tropes E to K]] | [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic/TropesLToP Tropes L to P]] | '''Tropes Q to S''' | [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic/TropesTToZ Tropes T to Z]]----!!!''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' provides examples of the following tropes:

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[[folder:Q]]* QuirkyTown: Ponyville is a textbook example of this. Appleloosa fits the bill too; they even have [[VisualPun horse drawn horse-drawn carriages.]]* QuiveringEyes: Used mainly by the cuter characters, but you'll find an example of it for practically anyone, and for a wide range of different emotions.[[/folder]]

[[folder:R]]* RapidFireNailBiting:** "Magic Duel". While Twilight is testing a magic spell on some animals, Fluttershy goes into overprotective mother mode and bites her hooves for the duration of the test. ** Rarity bites her hooves as well in "Secret of my Excess". ** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]'', one pony is seen doing this during Spike's attempts to light the torch.* RattlingOffLegal: Pinkie Pie [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cci4P6noCNs in]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ2TChJ_w50 these]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifPNnO0IVq0 three]] [[TheHub Hub]] commercials.* RealAfterAll: As of "Daring Don't", [[spoiler:all of Daring Do's adventures]].* RealityWarper: ** Although it was originally only PlayedForLaughs, Pinkie Pie has become a borderline example now that she's using CartoonPhysics to actually further the plot. So far she's [[TheCatCameBack relentlessly and impossibly chased]] more than a few characters, passed through solid walls via OffScreenTeleportation, pulled weapons out of HammerSpace during fights, slowed her descent into water in order to avoid making a splash, walked on air, ''[[BreakingTheFourthWall obliterated the fourth wall]]'', possesses a sixth sense that warns her of impending events, and done any number of acts [[BeyondTheImpossible that are supposed to be impossible for earth ponies]], and ''even unicorns,'' whose magic obeys ''some'' rules. Her friends notice, and on more than a few occasions, are ''shocked out of their minds''. A common refrain her friends often say is "Pinkie Pie's just being ''Pinkie Pie''." They don't want to break their brains figuring out exactly how/why Pinkie Sense or her OffscreenTeleportation works (as Twilight tried, and failed to in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen "Feeling Pinkie Keen"]]).** A more malevolent example is Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, who uses his powers to create a WorldGoneMad for his own amusement. Unlike Pinkie Pie, his powers are ''not'' PlayedForLaughs (well, [[LaughablyEvil not in the same manner]]). He was based on Q from Star Trek, to the point he's voiced by John De Lancie himself. Fortunately, [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe after befriending Fluttershy]], he vows to use his powers for good. [[ReformedButNotTamed Mostly]].** [[FunctionalMagic Unicorn magic]] in general seems to have the potential to become this. Many unicorns don't appear to do much more than use their telekinesis plus a "theme" spell or two, but the variety of effects that the real ''wizards'' among them can spontaneously create with the right spells (which themselves seem more a collection of random effects than they'd follow any actual system or logic that we ever see) is quite dazzling. Alicorn magic is apparently [[PhysicalGod immensely more powerful]].** Twilight Sparkle has the range of effects but not the raw power of someone like Discord. ''She'' was the one who turned an animal into a fruit, and switched around the cutie marks. (In both cases it wasn't ''quite'' what she was going for.) Twilight's GameBreaker-if-she-had-better-control powers are explained as most unicorns having magic related to their special talent, whereas Twilight's special talent is ''magic itself,'' giving her an unlimited range of spells (though nowhere near the raw power of the princesses... yet.)** King Sombra sent the Crystal Empire 1,000 years into the future, his mere presence has {{Mordor}} effects on the Empire, and [[spoiler:his {{Booby Trap}}s show he can also make {{Pocket Dimension}}s.]]** ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'' is a SpellBook that contains a spell allowing its owner to alter things to match their imagined version of it. Spike gives it to Rarity so she can use it to [[MundaneUtility fix her puppet theater]], which the puppeteer she built it for was disappointed in, but [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity she quickly goes mad]] from the spell's power, planning to alter all of Equestria to match her idea of beauty (which basically means turning everything into a golden, gem-incrusted version of itself).* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: St- st- stuttering and, um, disfluencies usually only crop up to indicate that someone is nervous (naturally, this happens most often with Fluttershy). The rest of the time, everypony speaks in perfectly formed sentences, even the canonically less-educated Apple family.* RealMenWearPink:** In the episode "Lesson Zero", Twilight Sparkle enchants her childhood plaything with a spell that causes everyone to want it for themselves. After the spell is dispelled, the doll is left on the ground, and then picked up by Big [=MacIntosh=], one of the few recurring male characters.*** To clarify: Big Mac is a very large (Draft horse?) stallion who works on his family's farm, is incredibly strong and tireless even by Earth Pony standards, and is implied in several background events to be a ChickMagnet...and he likes dolls.** Spike seems especially prone to this trope, what with his desire to attend the Grand Galloping Gala in "The Ticket Master", wearing a pink apron in "Dragon Quest" and even [[FandomNod playing with pony dolls]] in "A Canterlot Wedding".** In "Rainbow Falls", Bulk Biceps, an absurdly muscular pony (with totally undersized... wings), is shown [[http://derpibooru.org/530206 happily wearing one of Rarity's incredibly frilly and feminine team uniforms.]] Also; the most popular fandom name for him before 'Bulk Biceps got canonised was Snowflake, runner-up was Roid Rage.** And real Draconequi too, apparently, if Discord's "pretty alicorn princess" gear is anything to go by in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom Part 1]]''.-->'''Discord:''' We're still on for tea, aren't we?** Bronies also fit in, being older men who adore this show.* RearrangeTheSong: The theme song from the first season is remixed slightly from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero Lesson Zero]]" onward. [[http://www.facebook.com/dannyimusic/posts/247820271932219 Twilight Sparkle's lead vocal line was re-recorded, too.]]* RecordNeedleScratch: Variations of this are very common as part of the MickeyMousing, but some examples are more literal and/or noticeable than others, for example when Apple Bloom runs into an actual record player in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E12CallOfTheCutie "Call of the Cutie"]].* RecruitTeenagersWithAttitude: The Mane Six are ([[VagueAge more or less]]) young adults who were chosen by Celestia to wield the Elements of Harmony that can defeat Nightmare Moon.* RecurringExtra: There are '''a lot''' of them in the show. The background ponies are the most well known and the most numerous, due to the fact that the show is centered around ponies though non-pony extras ''do'' appear from time to time.** The computer-based animation actually encourages this. As Ponies can be reused relatively easily versus creating a new character each time, it becomes easier to have Recurring Extras rather than create crowds wholesale.** This has become less common over time, as the library of character models expands. In some of the early episodes, crowds were generated by building a group of 4-6 ponies and copy-pasting them several times within the same scene.* RecycledInSpace: ShowWithinAShow ''JustForFun/DaringDo'' is Franchise/IndianaJones [-AS A [[{{Pegasus}} PEGASUS]] [[DistaffCounterpart MARE]]-]!** The episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy Wonderbolts Academy]]" is ''Film/TopGun'' [-WITH PEGASI-]! [-AND A [[DownerEnding DOWNER ENDING]] FOR MAVERICK-]!* RecursiveTranslation: English dub → Japanese dub → English {{fansub}}s.* RedShirt: The Royal Guard has, to put it nicely, a disastrous track record in about anything. Arrest someone? They get zapped. Find a stolen bird? They get bluffed by the culprits. National Emergency? They're not even there. Guard the Archives? They unlock the doors for the intruders. Capital under attack? They get overrun without effort. Neighbouring state in peril? They play messenger. Seeing how they're BodyguardingABadass, you have to wonder what their purpose is beyond projecting authority.* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Not as obvious, but the powers of many of the ponies are never fully utilized. ** The magical abilities of all the Princesses and Twilight Sparkle would seem to have the potential to have far more significant and long lasting effects on the world then is demonstrated. Twilight may not be always reliable with the big magics, but she has been demonstrated to easily and reliably utilize dozens of minor magics with major MundaneUtility. If nothing else she should be the go-to person for fixing all the minor annoyances of the town with a 5 minute spell. Cleaning, pest control, magic communication, the list of things she demonstrabley can do is pretty huge. The other Princesses presumably are even more powerful, but at least they have the excuse of being busy running the world.** Rarity has the ability to find rare gems with ease, which she uses for decoration (and possible gives to spike?). However, gems are still treated as somewhat uncommon, and thus likely worth a good amount of money. You would think that someone who's suppose to be the embodiment of charity would realize that selling her gems for money she can give to those less fortunate would do more good then making pretty dresses. Sure the market would get flooded eventually, but you could do plenty of good before then (or even more good if you regulate exactly how much you sell).** Spike seems capable of sending instant messages across seemingly limitless distances. It's not clear rather he is unique in this ability. If he is he could be rich selling the service. If he isn't the presence of trivially fast communication across an empire should have a major impact on culture of the world, as phones and internet did for us.** The Pegasus ponies do not seem to worry too much about conservation of energy, able to produce whirlwinds with massive kinetic and potential energy from the combined work of a single team of them. With some ingenuity this should be exploitable for nearly limitless energy. For that mater the full control of weather should make farming trivially easy and food yields significantly higher and more reliable. Once food production is secured (and outside problems like war or disease are controlled) cultures tend to experience rapid population and culture growth historically.* ReferenceOverdosed: The series is loaded with these, but tend to be subtle for the most part.* RegionalBonus: Toy examples:** Canadian So Soft talking dolls (at least So Soft Newborn Rainbow Dash) can speak English or French. The Canadian version of the talking Princess Cadance toy likely can as well, judging by its packaging being bilingual.** There are several European special editions with often-exclusive bonus contents, the most prominent of the exclusive bonus contents being brushable non-Glimmer Wings [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner Daisy Dreams]] with her cutie mark on her right flank (in a 1 + 1 pack with brushable Fluttershy), brushable [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner Rainbow Flash]] (in a 1 + 1 pack with brushable Rainbow Dash), brushable [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner Skywishes]] (in the ride along brushable Rainbow Dash set), brushable [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner Star Swirl]] (in the Rarity's Royal Gem Carriage set), and the orange carriage and [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner purple squirrel]] (in the Rarity's Carousel Boutique set).* RememberTheNewGuy: The show, like its [[MyLittlePony earlier incarnations]] but to a much lesser extent, occasionally names ponies that have never appeared before, such as Junebug and Lickety Split[[note]]A colt which, by the way, shares the same name with an earlier-generation pony who looks nothing like him and is a filly.[[/note]]. The odd thing about the former is that Twilight knows her name, despite Twilight still being rather shut-in and having enough trouble dealing with her best friends.** Miss Cheerilee's class is probably the most blatant example; new students, like Featherweight and that random fat colt, suddenly show up and are treated as if they've always been there by the others.[[note]]In this case, at least some of them are students from another class, as Cheerilee's class gains a stable roster in the second season.[[/note]]** The season 2 finale introduces both Twilight's brother, and Princess Cadance. What makes this especially egregious is that Twilight claims her brother was her only real friend before she moved to Ponyville (despite her earlier statements that she didn't have ''any'' friends before then), which makes it odd that we ''never'' hear about him for the first 2 seasons of the show.*** [[http://fav.me/d4y5hdp This point is parodied in this comic]].** Also turned a bit on its head, as during the first episode narration, we are blatantly told that Equestria was ruled by ''two'' sisters, blah blah blah, banished to the moon, something Twilight should obviously know as she's the one reading the book. This fact is outright ignored, even as she finds other sources to corroborate. Cut to the end of the pilot, where all of the mane six, Twilight included, are [[FlatWhat stunned]] that Luna is Celestia's sister. In this case, the problem is that Twilight didn't know that Celestia was the older sister from the legend, and so didn't realize that Celestia and Luna were related.*** The show has been very consistent about the events of a thousand years ago having [[TheTimeOfMyths faded into legend]], with actual reliable history going back less than a millennium. Why has never been explained, but is assumed to have to do with all the villains from back then.*** The ponies of Ponyville should probably be the first to recognize Nightmare Moon, as they annually celebrate Nightmare Night where Nightmare Moon is a traditional villain, ''and they have a huge statue of her near the forest''.* RememberedICouldFly: Several. See trope for examples.* RentAZilla: A few. A sea monster, three dragons, two giant bears, a hydra. Fortunately, TalkingTheMonsterToDeath is sometimes an option.* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Dragons are the most recurring antagonistic monsters, though it varies between episode and each dragon how antagonistic they are. In the "Dragon Quest" episode, The dragons that get any dialogue are cruel (although this might be because they are depicted as teenagers). They even go so far as to [[spoiler: try to smash a nest of helpless, unguarded phoenix eggs.]] There's also the hydra from "Feeling Pinkie Keen".** Reptiles aren't AlwaysChaoticEvil -- Spike and [[FanNickname Steven Magnet]] aren't ([[TagalongKid most]] of [[NiceGuy the]] [[LargeHam time]]) and Pinkie's pet baby toothless alligator Gummy may also be nice, as while it bites Pinkie (and other characters) regularly, it could just be how it shows affection. However, in "Secret Of My Excess", Spike's transformation into a mindless greedy monster is accompanied by his more blatant reptilian traits: long thin tongue, [[http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/397/96473%20-%20nictitating_membrane%20spike.PNG?1323549702 eye membrane]], etc.* ResetButton: {{Averted|Trope}} and apparently [[EnforcedTrope ripped out]] as of Season 5. Some changes, such as the destruction of the Golden Oak Library, are beyond the influence of even a WorldHealingWave.* {{Retraux}}: Creator/TheHub's {{Web Game|s}} ''VideoGame/AdventurePonies'', [[{{Defictionalization}} Defictionalized]] from their [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7URogxWx_aE "8 bit"]] promo and [[http://vimeo.com/43418672 "8-bit"]] network ID.* RevealShot: This show is all about camera dynamics. For example, in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E9BridleGossip Bridle Gossip]]", the camera is zoomed into Twilight Sparkle's face as she wakes up to hide the fact that her horn is [[spoiler:"cursed" by Poison Joke.]]* RevengeFic:** Some characters, particularly Trixie, Celestia and Gilda are often target of this trope.** The LemonyNarrator of ''Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure'' ''really'' hates Fluttershy. ** Also there's ''Fanfic/MyLittleUnicorn'':-->''"I do not like [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic FIM]] at all... [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment in fact I hate it]] and wish it were never made... and it makes me angry with all its lies and falsehoods about [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship being magic]] and the true salvation. [[{{Wangst}} Not to mention all the horrid emotional pains it brings me]]. So… I create this [[TakeThat to bash at it]]."''* RevisitingTheRoots: The series zigzags this by returning to the adventure stories that were seen in the first generation of the [[Franchise/MyLittlePony franchise]] in certain episodes, but is mostly comprised of the SliceOfLife style seen in most other MLP shows.* RhymesOnADime: ** Zecora, particularly impressive in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E6TheCutiePox The Cutie Pox]]", where she sets herself up to make a rhyme with "tooth" before she sees that Apple Bloom chipped her tooth (From Apple Bloom's posture, it was an easy guess).*** Although there was a gag in the main ''MLP'' comic #9 where she noted (In rhyme, naturally) that she needed a moment to think up a rhyme for her next comment.** Not as frequently as Zecora, but Pinkie Pie still likes to rhyme a lot... especially when she's singing.** Discord. Not as often as Zecora, mind you, but loves handing out torturous riddles. He normally sounds far more menacing while doing so as well.** Iron Will’ s inspirational {{Catch Phrase}}s. To name a few:-->'''Iron Will:''' When somepony tries to block, show them that '''YOU ROCK'''!\\'''Iron Will:''' Never apologize when you can criticize!* RiddleForTheAges: Where ''do'' {{winged unicorn}}s come from? How many of them are there, and are they all royalty or even, for that matter, related? (So far we have the sisters Celestia and Luna, Celestia's apparent niece Cadance, and some unnamed mare who was part of the Hearts And Hooves day myth, all princesses.) As of mid-third season, no episode aired has ever addressed this; even the "Hearth's Warming Eve" pageant, whose story is explicitly set before the reign of Celestia and Luna, already features the winged unicorn motif on the Equestrian flag.** In the third season finale, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure "Magicial Mystery Cure"]], Rarity tells [[spoiler:Twilight]] "Why, you've become an alicorn! I didn't even know that was possible," implying this isn't the ''normal'' way alicorns come into existence.** Although 'Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell' implies that this ''is'' the normal way alicorns come into existence (by having Cadance share a similar origin), so fans are left guessing if this is case of 'Rarity was just wrong', 'novel tie-ins don't count', or 'the writers haven't made up their mind yet'.** Even after the publication of ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'', we still don't know where Celestia and Luna came from.* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: The latest incarnation of Spike is a rather AffectionateParody of his traditional portrayal.** The ponies themselves qualify in this incarnation, thanks to Lauren Faust's distillation of their designs.*** Even more so in "Cutie Mark Chronicles", where the mane cast has flashbacks to the days when they were just little fillies. It also shows Spike just after he was born.*** Pumpkin and Pound Cake especially.** Pretty much anything in the series that isn't supposed to be scary falls under this, especially Applejack's dog, Winona, and the bunnies that Fluttershy takes care of. [[KillerRabbit Even if Angel wants to kill you]].** The Parasprites even qualify in-universe. Fluttershy can't resist keeping one, because they're so ''cute.''* RiteOfPassage: The Cutie Marks are a kind of this. A pony only acquires its Cutie Mark when it discovers its true calling in life. It's sometimes even celebrated with a party called a [[AWorldwidePunomenon cuteceañera]].* RoarBeforeBeating: The Manticore, Ursa, and hydra all do this.* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:** The ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown Putting Your Hoof Down]]'' episode involves Fluttershy colliding with the {{jerkass}} ponies she came across after she gets her assertiveness from Iron Will.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', once Tirek blows up the Library, Twilight stops trying to hold her magic back and instead goes all out in trying to stop him.* RogerRabbitEffect: Not in the show, but in some of the commercials (the Target Canterlot [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obo_9yyAIoA commercial]], [[http://vimeo.com/29635691 two]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7KV68mCHYc commercials]] by Creator/TheHub, the rest of Creator/TheHub's [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 Royal]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 Wedding]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44OUB98t8zw promos]] featuring Tori Spelling, [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?R=BFDAEDFE-5056-900B-1082-95AC4E2C4F89:en_US the]] [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?R=BFE7D83B-5056-900B-1033-D78451DC3A9B:en_US commercials]] for the Pony Princess Wedding Castle toy set and the Princess Cadance talking toy, and Creator/TheHub's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw_iH9iiqHM promos]] [[http://derpy.tv/the-hub/season-3-finale-bumps-video_cc99c4e5c.html featuring]] Mallory Hagan).** The Little Pony TV sequences from the Japanese dub feature Twilight Sparkle hosting a brief segment with Pinkie Pie's voice actor, Creator/SuzukoMimori.* RomanceGenreHeroines: According to Lauren Faust, the mane girls are based around these.** [[TheHero Twilight]] [[TheSmartGuy Sparkle]] is The Librarian.** [[GenkiGirl Pinkie]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Pie]] is The Free Spirit.** [[BadassNormal Applejack]] is The Boss.** [[BewareTheNiceOnes Fluttershy]] is The Nurturer.** [[{{Tomboy}} Rainbow]] [[ActionGirl Dash]] is The Crusader.** [[TheOjou Rarity]] is The Waif.* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment:** The message of the show is ''decidedly'' romantic at first glance; emotions and friendship are important, and the Enlightened main character must learn that lesson repeatedly. However, it's not quite that simple; Twilight Sparkle's perspective is shown as having its flaws, but she's far from "[[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong always wrong]]," and her task-oriented character, intelligence and logical skills help save the day at least as often as they cause problems for her. The actual moral tends to be that [[{{Reconstruction}} the Enlightenment needs to give Romanticism its due, but that doesn't make it a bad thing]].** The ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'' spell is waaaaaay on the side of romanticism, turning anyone that casts it into a VisionaryVillain. It [[AwesomeButImpractical slurps up any practicality in the vicinity and and transforms it in favor of flashy style.]] Think of [[ThisIndexIsHighlyImprobable any trope with the word "Improbable" in its title,]] and you have anything this spell makes. [[RealityEnsues Except it's ACTUALLY improbable.]] [[FridgeBrilliance So, it actually makes sense]] [[WeaksauceWeakness that a single sentence of]] BrutalHonesty would [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight snap the caster out of it]], since [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids the most loftiest of ideals are more easily subjective to someone pointing out their obvious faults.]]*** [[{{Foreshadowing}} Foreshadowed]] by the opening, where Rarity makes a puppet stand and it's completely unusable by the very puppeteer it's made for. The following events are a series of that very formula [[SerialEscalation one-upping itself.]]* RousingSpeech:** Twilight Sparkle delivers one of these in "The Return of Harmony, Part 2."-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' Do you remember what I said the first day we arrived in Ponyville? I told you that the future of Equestria didn't rest on me making friends. But the opposite is true! The friendships I've made since I've been here are what saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon. And now they need to save it from Discord! [...] I've got to fight for my friendships. For them. For ME. For EQUESTRIA!** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]'', Rainbow Dash gives one to the other Ponyville competitors at the start. When it comes to her team, however, she acknowledges that being pitted against the Wonderbolts doesn't put the odds in their favour. * RousseauWasRight: Almost everybody, pony or otherwise, has at least ''some'' spark of decency tucked away somewhere and can potentially be redeemed even if they start out antagonistic; exceptions for whom this statement is at the very least questionable are pretty rare and usually {{Big Bad}}s. (And even among those, Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna is practically the poster pony for the trope.)* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: ** [[PrincessesRule Princess Celestia]] is, among other things, responsible for [[GodEmperor raising the sun and moon]]. Her younger sister Princess Luna resumes responsibility for the moon once she is freed from being Nightmare Moon. ** Another milder example in Celestia's case is that she notably took up tutoring and technically raising the show's [[SociallyAwkwardHero asocial]] [[BadassBookworm bookworm]] hero, Twilight Sparkle, for the remainder of her childhood, as well as [[TagalongKid Spike]].*** It is also worth note that she is consistently portrayed at having very little to no free time, as her official responsibilities often drag her away from things she'd rather be doing. ** Then there's villainous Queen Chrysalis of the changelings, whose duties involve actively searching and providing [[EmotionEater food sources]] for her subjects. [[spoiler:She also infiltrates Canterlot and leads the invasion on Equestria.]]** It happened in the backstory, but Princess Cadance babysitting a young Twilight Sparkle probably wasn't a royal duty.*** Her duties as the ruler of the Crystal Empire includes raising a massive barrier to protect it should some terrible evil threaten it, and keep that barrier going until said evil is vanquished, no matter how long it takes. Sleep? This princess sleeps when the job is done, not before.** During the royal wedding preparations, Luna spends the nights keeping watch over Canterlot. As in, patrolling the grounds and surveilling key points with a large telescope.** Princess Luna is also the protector of dreams. Meaning that she sneaks around inside ponies' dreams and vanquishes anything that could cause distress or fright.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'', the Princesses seem to be at Equestria's beck and call to solve big magical problems: Twilight gets called to rescue two ponies from the crystallized gazebo, and Princesses Cadance and Luna assist her in fixing Rarity's messes in Ponyville later on.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]'', when the cloud falls, Celestia and Luna are seen entering the fray like all the pegasi. This [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140603174833/mlp/images/c/cd/Celestia_and_Luna_flying_up_to_ice_cloud_S4E24.png picture]] proves it. Twilight (attending the games in a royal capacity, complete with crown) is also about to lend assistance, but Spike makes his move before she can act.** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom Part 1]]''. Twilight spends most of the episode lamenting how she hasn't been given much to do as a princess other than "smile an wave" and unfurl a banner for some visiting dignitaries, and is especially distraught when Celestia tasks Discord over her with tracking down the escapee from Tartarus. Twilight is finally given a role at the [[{{Cliffhanger}} end of the episode]] when the other princesses inform her that [[WhamLine they must rid themselves of their magic]] to protect it from Tirek.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', after the Mane Six harness the [[SuperMode Rainbow Power]] version of the [[ThePowerOfFriendship Elements of Harmony]], Twilight earns the title of "Princess of Friendship", with the role of spreading [[TitleDrop the Magic of Friendship]] across Equestria.* RuleOfCool:** Birds have to keep flapping their wings in order to stay airborne, and hitting anything will cause them to fall -- unless you are giving a mid-air high-five to the princess's awesome pet, Philomena.*** Even worse, in "Hurricane Fluttershy", Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy high five each other in midair ''using their wings.''** Crossing the sound barrier doesn't create a spectacular light show, it's just extremely noisy -- also, any light would reach any witnesses before the audible shockwave, instead of the other way around… unless caused by a rainbow-haired pegasus.*** Do note that Equestrian physics might be different from those that apply in the real world.*** Well, apparently so, because there is something that allows Rainbow Dash to pull 1670 Gs when she rockets out of the dive at a 90-degree angle in "Sonic Rainboom" and somehow not get ripped to shreds.*** AWizardDidIt: The pegasi's flight is explicitly magical in nature. As such, Rainbow can fly ten times faster than any Earth creature despite being just barely aerodynamic enough to glide slightly when jumping. * RuleOfCute:** An adorable, ''baby'' fire-breathing dragon is permitted to live in a library full of paper books and scrolls. His fire is known to only teleport scrolls to Princess Celestia rather than burn them, but the same doesn't seem to apply with the book in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well that Ends Well]]".** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles The Cutie Mark Chronicles]]", when visiting Manehattan, a young Applejack is shown carrying a BindleStick -- without actually holding on to it, but somehow effortlessly balancing it across her back despite the high end being heavier than the lower end.** Also in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles The Cutie Mark Chronicles]]", after falling from a cloud high in the sky, a young Fluttershy is saved by a swarm of butterflies, just a couple feet above the ground. Granted, Fluttershy, like all Pegasus Ponies, has the innate power to interact with clouds as if they were masonry. A swarm of butterflies as thick as the one she landed on likely has more consistency than a mass of vaporized water. Still, [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou going from terminal velocity to 0, whether she landed on the ground or a swarm of butterflies, should have the same result.]]*** The butterflies cushioned downwards, so, let's say terminal velocity rapidly going through 5 half lives before hitting zero, 1/32 of terminal before hitting zero.** Equestria is, for lack of a better term, a nudist civilization, however characters will wear clothing often either as a sign of their occupation (mail carriers wear uniforms, doctors wear white coats, etc.) or as a sign of social status (the wealthy often wear dresses and dress jackets). Applejack lampshades this when Rarity insists on having privacy while getting dressed for the Gala, pointing out "we don't normally wear clothes."* RuleOfDrama:** When settler ponies raising apple trees are offered a chance to find out why a buffalo tribe doesn't want them around, while at the same time the buffalo could find out why the ponies planted trees on their land, the mane characters get in the way and accidentally push both sides into an actual battle.** When a visiting stage magician brags about how great her powers are and starts humiliating some of the mane characters, the character who knows magic like the back of her hoof refuses to do anything because she's afraid of also appearing to be a show-off. (Twilight's insecurity is one of her main character traits.)* RuleOfFun: Pinkie Pie may run on RuleOfFunny, but as the Element of Laughter, RuleOfFun is her primary motivation in life. Her ''destiny'', as reflected by her cutie mark, revolves on doing whatever it takes to make her friends smile.-->"I had never felt joy like that before! It felt so good, I wanted to keep smiling forever! And I wanted everyone I knew to smile too. But rainbows don't come along that often. I wondered how else I could create some smiles."\\-- '''Pinkie Pie''' in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles "The Cutie Mark Chronicles"]], recounting her reaction the first time she saw a rainbow.* RuleOfFunny:** A pony-drawn locomotive (that is, a train with a working steam engine being pulled along by horses).** In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E4ApplebuckSeason Applebuck Season]]" we see one of the ponies who ate bad muffins throwing up into a bucket. Real horses can't vomit, but cartoon animals do.** Pretty much ''anything'' Pinkie Pie does.*** In particular, Pinkie Pie once appeared in a mirror to chastise Twilight for telling Spike's [[EverybodyKnewAlready not-so-secret secret]].** In "Spike At Your Service", Spike's ineptitude. The same dragon who baked treats for everyone in "Owl's Well That Ends Well" and "Dragon Quest", as well as cooking mini-quiche with his fiery breath in "A Bird In The Hoof", suddenly can't bake to save his neck.* RuleOfGlamorous: Many of the outfits that Rarity designs would be worth millions of dollars in the real world due to the sheer amount of precious gemstones that she sews into them. However, even with her talent for finding gems she is still just a small business owner and not a mining tycoon. The implication seems to be that gems are a lot more common in Equestria than {{real life}}, and they tend to be much bigger than even Earth's largest precious stones. Mr. and Mrs. Cake even put sapphires on a cupcake as a birthday present for Spike (who, being a dragon, eats gems as a delicacy).* RuleOfPerception: Played with in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E12CallOfTheCutie Call of the Cutie]]": when Apple Bloom is trying to hide, she chooses several spots that would be in plain sight to anyone actually at the party, but which hide her from the ''viewers''.** At the beginning of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]", when Rarity walks in between Rainbow Dash and the viewers, Rainbow Dash randomly starts hovering in order to remain visible to the camera.** The [[ColorCodedWizardry coloured auras]] that appear around a unicorn's horn while they cast spells or around levitating objects are only visible to the audience. While some spells are visible to the characters, they can't identify the caster the way the audience can. This comes up a couple of times at the end of the second season, first rendering a character unable to tell that magic was used, and then to give the audience a clue that the characters can't perceive. This is made explicit in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E24MysteryOnTheFriendshipExpress MMMystery on the Friendship Express,]] when motion without a visible cause is identified as unicorn magic.** Similarly, in "The Return of Harmony", Twilight Sparkle could not see the color fading as a cue [[spoiler:that her friends were corrupted, seeing only that they had suddenly become jerks and ''[[BreakTheCutie she didn't know how or]]'' '''[[BreakTheCutie why]]''']].*** Spike was able to see that the other five have turned "grey"...* RuleOfSeven: According to the [[AllThereInTheManual trading]] [[TheMerch cards]], there exists a seventh element of harmony: Love, which is attributed to Shining Armor and Cadance. It's not known if this will appear on the show or not. * RuleOfThree: Each of the mane ponies' cutie marks have something to do with the number three. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie have three apples, gems, butterflies and balloons as their cutie marks respectively. The lightning bolt on Rainbow Dash's cutie mark is composed of three colors.** Also, all of the lead characters barring Twilight Sparkle have exactly three syllables in their names.** Also applies to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. There are three of them, and all three have names that consist of three syllables.** There are three types of ponies (Earth ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi), and both the mane cast and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are made up of an even balance between these types.*** With the two groups combined, there are three of each.** Story-wise, many episodes rely on a minimum of three ponies regardless of how many are the actual focus characters - "Look before you Sleep", based around Applejack and Rarity, adds Twilight Sparkle to the mix, and "Putting your Hoof Down" has Rarity and Pinkie Pie in a Fluttershy ep.*** This often ties in with the concept of the FreudianTrio, especially in Season 1 episodes where Twilight Sparkle usually acted as the Ego (such as "look before you sleep" where Applejack was the Id and Rarity was the Superego). The show likes to invert the freudian trio a lot too, where the central character's behavior is out of balance and two other characters will try to correct them.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'', Spike's description of Rarity's first puppet theater, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] with Spike counting to three on his claw afterward.-->'''Spike''': So that puppeteer didn't like your exquisitely crafted best puppet theater in the history of puppet theaters puppet theater.* RunningGag: Pinkie Pie's random musical numbers. Usually [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]].** Applejack biting Rainbow Dash's tail to stop her when she tries to dash away or charge against a much stronger foe.*** Twilight Sparkle also uses her magic to to this a few times as well.*** Applejack's habit of shoving food (or hooves) into other pony's mouths to get them to stop talking.** Three earth ponies called Rose, Daisy, and Lily going hysterical and overblowing things out of proportion at the slightest hint of danger. ("The horror... THE HORROR!")** Rainbow Dash has a tendency to… drop in unannounced. Onto your head. Hey, she wasn't called "Rainbow Crash" for nothing.** Twilight becoming slightly neurotic whenever Princess Celestia comes to Ponyville, insisting everything be perfect for whenever Celestia comes to visit, even if it's unofficial.*** Taken UpToEleven in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero Lesson Zero]] when she believes her normally flawless work ethic is at risk, a prospect which causes her great distress.** Fluttershy "screaming".** Ever since the debut of the "Pinkie Sense" in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]], every few episodes, Pinkie Pie has a bout of "[[BuffySpeak Twitchy-tail]]," which indicates something falling. Every time it has happened outside of that episode, it has always been a flower pot. The first time it happens, there's a perfectly logical reason as to why it fell. Someone opened their window, and knocked it loose. The second time, it happened inside a tent, and it still fell from the sky. No damage to the tent whatsoever. They make sure to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade it]].--> '''Pinkie Pie''': Oh, my fortune telling has nothing to do with my Pinkie Sense, silly. It's only good for vague and immediate events.--> *Cue flower pot drop to Twilight Sparkle's head*--> '''Pinkie Pie''': Like that, see? *Beat* Where did that even come from?*** Finally subverted in "Princess Twilight Sparkle", as the "Twitchy-tail" is followed not by a flowerpot landing on the titular princess, but a huge vine hitting Rarity in the head.** The Apple family barn has been destroyed, rebuilt and renovated how many times now? (Add another count as of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E9AppleFamilyReunion Apple Family Reunion]]", where it [[spoiler:gets first accidentally wrecked and then promptly completely rebuilt with the help of all the assembled Apples, all within the last few minutes of the episode  underscored by a catchy song-and-dance number, at that]].)** [[FunnyBackgroundEvent Lyra Heartstrings is often engaged in some activity in the background that she really should not be doing.]] For example, sitting like a human on a bench, standing on a cloud watching the Best Young Flyer competition in Cloudsdale ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Cloudsdale's in the sky]], and she's a unicorn, mind you), etc.** Lyra being in Cloudsdale was answered in the same episode via the fact that Twilight has access to a book that contains a spell that allows non-pegasi to walk on clouds. Lyra was apparently a student at the same school Twilight was since we see her in the pilot in Canterlot. It's possible she knows the same spell via similar means [[note]]though this still leaves how she got up there an open question[[/note]]. ** Derpy.*** Interestingly, she has ''several'' prominent running gags, including her her inadvertent destructiveness, her maladroit tendencies, and her now nearly OnceAnEpisode background appearances in odd places. ** If anypony says the word "forever", expect it to be delivered [[ChewingTheScenery as dramatic and as hammy as possible]]!** Tuesday often being the day major events happen.** Granny Smith always crosses the street during high speed scenes, such as chases and Scootaloo zooming through town.** Twilight Sparkle TemptingFate by saying stuff like "What could go wrong?"** By way of shout-out, whenever a ScareChord is called for, the one from Film/{{Predator}} is used.** Spike getting flattened because of standing in front of a opening door.[[/folder]]

[[folder:S (a-m)]]* SailorEarth: ''MyLittlePony'' has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in pretty much all its incarnations, and there's a ''ton'' of "OC Pony" fan-art out there. This show in particular has inspired fanfic not only about the "Seventh Element of Harmony", but {{Evil Counterpart}}s to the Elements (Generosity vs. Selfishness/Greed, Laughter vs. Despair, etc.), usually known collectively as the Elements of Discord.** Trixie making a HeelFaceTurn and becoming the Seventh Element is quite common.** Fan favorite Derpy Hooves is often depicted as hanging out with and interacting with the Mane 6. Her fanon-established daughter Dinky is similarily often included with the Cutie Mark Crusaders (despite having been repeatedly depicted with a cutie mark, although it keeps changing).** Besides, as it is a world inhabited by what's deemed to be MANY Ponies, one simply needs a name and a cutie mark... you would be hard pressed to find a brony without a Pony OC.* SanitySlippage: Happens to every one of the mane six at some point or another.** Briefly occurs to Twilight during the climax of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury Swarm of the Century]]".*** She also came dangerously close to returning here throughout "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]]". Trust us, trying to figure out a pony like Pinkie Pie can make you crazy...*** She tried to work a tree falling through the window into the concept of a slumber party in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E8LookBeforeYouSleep Look Before You Sleep]]".**** In her defense though, she might have been concussed by the tree falling ''on her head''*** Also in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E20GreenIsntYourColor Green Isn't Your Color]]", thanks again to Pinkie Pie convincing her "Losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend ''forever''!"*** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero Lesson Zero]]", Twilight's sanity doesn't slip so much as ''[[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope take a nosedive into the very abyss,]]'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYV0tnRe-i4 as demonstrated here]].** Pinkie Pie offers a truly chilling example in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E25PartyOfOne Party of One]]", throwing a party for inanimate objects and acting moody and grumpy - the exact ''opposite'' of her usual characterization. The sequence comes complete with insanity tics, CreepyCircusMusic, a MadnessMakeover, and an eerie SlasherSmile; plus we eventually get to see [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCDKguHpklM the whole thing]] [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness the way Pinkie Pie sees it.]]** Even Fluttershy suffers this during [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver "The Best Night Ever,"]] after repeated failures in [[spoiler:getting to spend time with the animals at the gardens of the Gala]], and even caps it off with an EvilLaugh.*** She gets another turn of this in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown "Putting Your Hoof Down,"]] after getting her assertiveness training from Iron Will. Her anger results in her becoming more of a crazy bitch every hour, and increasingly tantrum-prone, paranoid and aggressive.*** Her performance in that episode puts Fluttercruel, her discorded personality in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 The Return Of Harmony Part 1]]" and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 Part 2]]", to shame. Speaking of that two-parter episode, the mane 5 themselves, bar Twilight, [[DrivenToMadness went insane]] after Discord {{brainwash|ed}}es them.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'', the more Rarity uses the book's power, the more deranged she becomes.* SantaClaus: Appears in a British {{Boomerang}} [[http://vimeo.com/33362550 commercial]] and [[http://www.boomerangtv.co.uk/MyLittlePony game]], though both times only in silhouette. In canon, Santa-like accessories have been seen on a mannequin in a costume shop during the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E3TheTicketMaster "The Ticket Master"]].* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud:** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E25PartyOfOne Party of One]]", several ponies attempt, badly, to fake the sounds of power tools. At one point, Rainbow Dash can be heard saying [[UnsoundEffect "Drill, drill!"]] and Twilight Sparkle can be heard saying "Safety gear!"** In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin May The Best Pet Win]]", Rainbow Dash declares that the final challenge for who's going to be her pet is a race through Ghastly Gorge.-->'''Rainbow Dash''': DUN DUN DUNNNNN!** In addition to actual chewing noises when scarfing down the ice cream, Rarity can be heard sounding out "nom nom nom" in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]''.* SceneryPorn: The series takes full advantage of this (take these [[http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/e/e1/My_little_airship.png two]] [[http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/0/02/Rainbow_Dash_zooming_over_Ponyville_S1_Opening.png shots]] for example). The color, fluidity and amount of tiny details crammed into general shots are impressive. Some episodes use backgrounds that have never been seen before and are unlikely ever to be seen again, like the TrainingMontage in "Call of the Cutie", the fall foliage in "Fall Weather Friends", and the Wild West scenery throughout "Over a Barrel". There's also the pegasus city of [[FloatingContinent Cloudsdale]], an [[http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/1679 entire]] [[http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/1425 city]] made of ''clouds and rainbows''. Its a pretty SugarBowl! In fact, [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdNiBaZ7Gso/TWMCb4aA9wI/AAAAAAAABpY/LcQb7FJh6Vc/s1600/cloudsdale_wallpaper-%2528n1298259967605%2529.jpg Cloudsdale]] looks very similar to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110106092660/disneyshercules/images/7/7e/Disney_olympus.jpg Mount Olympus]] from Disney's ''{{Disney/Hercules}}'' (which also falls under this trope).* SchizoTech: The baseline level of technology in the show was at one point supposed to be evocative of [[HeroicFantasy Medieval Fantasy]]. Most of the buildings in Ponyville are half-timbered, thatched-roof cottages, and Twilight, Spike and Celestia exclusively write with quill feather pens on scrolls. Exceptions to this were originally going to be {{Handwaved}} as MagiTek by WordOfGod[[note]]See question 18 [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/exclusive-season-1-retrospective.html here]][[/note]], but it rapidly became clear that the overall technological level was more consistent with the early 20th century, a standard which was more closely stuck to in seasons 2 and 3, which also made it much easier to introduce various things that were useful to the writers. However, there is massive variability:** Twilight, Spike, and Celestia use quills to write, and frequently use scrolls for their letters back and forth, but we see fairly modern printed books, 20th century pencils with erasers on their end, a few fountain pens are seen, and we see what appear to be crayons and markers on several occasions. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mqCmieusNs Typewriters]] also appear. Of course, Celestia may simply be a holdout, with her student imitating her teacher while the rest of the world has long since moved on to more modern writing instruments.** The more CrystalSpiresAndTogas style of architecture in Canterlot and the Classical looking cloud buildings in Cloudsdale recall older (if fantastic) architecture, but the Wonderbolts Academy looks like a 20th century military base and [[{{Pun}} Manehattan]] looks like early 20th century New York City. The Ponyville schoolhouse also appears to be of fairly modern (18th, 19th, or 20th century) construction. A steel-frame building is also seen under construction in Ponyville in the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.** Streetlights that seem to contain fireflies (or [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Navi]]?), but also lanterns containing candles, and flashlights and spotlights as well as light switches.** Goggles made of shatter-resistant lenses.** Hand-cranked Victrolas alongside DJ turntables.** Horse-drawn plows and chariots, but also:*** Horse-drawn ''[[ThrowItIn locomotives]].''[[note]]WordOfGod [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/1926366980 provides an explanation]].[[/note]] Traditionally-operated locomotives appear in season 2.*** Horse-drawn carriages (the passengers and drivers switch positions) -- leading to [[OverlyLongGag Horse drawn, horse-drawn carriages]] (see VisualPun in [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic/TropesTToZ Tropes T to Z]]).** Hourglasses, cuckoo clocks, pocket watches, stopwatches and wrist watches, all alongside each other.** Photo booths, old-fashioned daguerreotype cameras that can take color photos, and hoof-free cameras with built-in flashes.** Medical care shows evidence not only of X-rays and EKG machines, but hip replacement surgery is mentioned in Ticket Master, a procedure not done successfully until the 1940s. Likewise, there appear to be vaccines and medicinal pills, possibly including antibiotics. On the other hand, some limited healing magic seems to exist, such as Zecora's potion which fixes Apple Bloom's chipped tooth; some of the other medical devices seen may be magical in nature as well. ** Wireless microphones not seen until the second half of the 20th century, late 20th century speakers, and mid-to-late 20th century megaphones.** While refrigerators existed in the early 20th century, the ones seen on the show look like they were constructed after World War II.** Mid-20th century hang gliders.** Mid-20th century bowling alley, with what appears to be automated pinspotters.** Mid-to-late 20th century hazmat suits** Perhaps most egregiously, a stand-up arcade machine is seen in Hearts and Hooves day, implying the existence of integrated circuits, assuming it does not run on magic; no other advanced computing devices appear in the series.** Modern-looking vacuum cleaners.** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]]" brought confirmed electricity and added a myriad of tech that seems taken from a Frankenstein movie (for when Twilight Sparkle tries to understand Pinkie Pie's ability to predict the future [[ForScience with SCIENCE!]]).** Way back in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E8LookBeforeYouSleep "Look Before You Sleep"]] Twilight Sparkle explains that her tree is protected by a magical lightning rod. As explained by WordOfGod and in-universe, it is MagiTek. Amusingly, real-life lightning rods are entirely non-magical, extremely easy to construct, and work quite well.** Fluttershy has a steam radiator heating system in her sod-roof cottage.** Knowledge of comets that seems just a ''little'' too advanced for the displayed technology/society so far in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]". Though given that Equestria's rulers have dominion over celestial bodies like the sun and the moon, they might have just gotten such information from Luna/Celestia.** The entire town has centralized plumbing, complete with only one shared source for heating water for everypony (Spike managed to use all of it by taking a seven-hour bubble bath).** A Pinkie Pie-powered [[ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines flying contraption]].** A magical helicopter for Tank, Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise.** You can hear a ''[[ItMakesSenseInContext smoke alarm]]'' in the beginning of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E5SisterhoovesSocial "Sisterhooves Social"]].** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E23PonyvilleConfidential "Ponyville Confidential"]] has a early-to-mid-20th century press workshop underneath Cheerilee's schoolhouse.** Typewriters! How do ponies type with hooves? The keyboards consist only of two huge round buttons. ** Rap music with electronic instruments.** While most of the stuff that features in Pinkie Pie's imagination montage in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E24MysteryOnTheFriendshipExpress "MMMystery on the Friendship Express"]] (especially the ''Film/JamesBond'' style watch equipped with LCD displays, micro-scale computers and wireless communication) can be dismissed as products of her imagination, the tone in which Twilight points out that there's no laser beam security system implies that lasers ''do'' exist, just not here. Though, on the other hand, a few ponies have been seen doing battle using what appear to be energy beams which shoot out of their horns. ** Toys and commercials are much more varied, and show many things which do not appear in the show:*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTY3zJaA2Dc This]] toy commercial gives us Pinkie Pie's RC Car, and the toys themselves have that and a lot more technology--Applejack has a Farm Truck and a TV, and Canterlot Castle contains a television set, a microwave oven, and a dishwasher. The [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=65649D3A-5056-900B-1063-D75ABFB2005F description]] of [[AllThereInTheScript Twinkleshine]] also implies that movies exist. An upcoming ''Pony Wedding'' [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulnomad/6859938787/in/photostream/ toy package]] will give Twilight Sparkle a car that appears to be a PaletteSwap of Pinkie Pie's RC Car.*** One of the Polish and Norwegian [[TieInNovel magazine stories]] has a [[SickEpisode sick]] Pinkie Pie make a phone call to Twilight Sparkle. While this is plausible given the technology of the early 20th century, phones have never appeared in the show proper, and there is no visible infrastructure for them.*** The [[TheMerch officially licensed merchandise]] provides some odd examples: {{jetpack}}s & other {{steampunk}} gadgets ([[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=640 on]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=641 a]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=829 gradually]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=831 increasing]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1036 number]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1037 of]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=2208 the]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=2209 shirts]], [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=999 some]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1433 bags]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1573 and]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1713 buttons]], [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1333 an art print]], and [[http://www.welovefine.com/wp/?p=791 some stickers]]), {{robot}} versions of the Mane Six (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=905 these]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1846 shirts]]), an airplane (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1197 this]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1199 shirt]]), Soarin' with metallic wings and tail (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1291 this shirt]]), motorcycles (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1346 this]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1347 shirt]] and [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1576 this]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1620 shirt]]), cars (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1504 this shirt]] and [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1906 this art print]]), motor scooters (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1537 these]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1921 shirts]]) and pony public call boxes (on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1577 these]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1578 three]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1913 shirts]]).*** [[{{Crossover}} From other series]], VideoGame/{{Portal}} technology is featured on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1356 one]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1357 shirt]] and [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1976 hoodie]] and on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1901 one art print]], and the ED-209 from ''Franchise/RoboCop'' is featured on [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1429 another shirt]].*** TheHub's advertisements for the show have some technology too. The ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p50-oWY1pFE There's a Pony For That]]'' commercial shows Twilight Sparkle using a Hub-brand smartphone (complete with pony-themed apps and Internet access), and the ''[[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A_Xj7mp28XY/Tobgfn4wGqI/AAAAAAAANC0/1d-0jnfK74E/DAGJh.jpg Ponygeist]]'' billboard shows Pinkie Pie in front of a Hub-brand TV set (which is larger than either of the [=TVs=] seen in the toys). An 8-bit video game is seen in this [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7URogxWx_aE&list=UUzqdIdVwSkOumk7ABSb-b1A&index=2&feature=plcp so-titled]] ad.*** If technology [[{{Crossover}} from other shows]] counts, then there's also [[WesternAnimation/DanVs Dan]]'s car (remodeled by Pinkie Pie) in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0n1WGHLmCw this]] commercial, and even [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime Megatron]] in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKjBViIt-y8 these]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaTL4akk9F4 two]] commercials. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtn-Yo0gLrQ This]] ''[[WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010 Pound Puppies]]'' ad features Pinkie Pie (and Discord!) videochatting, which implies computer, internet, and video camera.* ScoobyDoobyDoors: Briefly done with a rocking train car's beds in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E21OverABarrel Over a Barrel]]", The Mysterious Mare Do well leads Rainbow Dash on a proper one in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E8TheMysteriousMareDoWell The Mysterious Mare Do Well]]", and done between Philomena, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdInTheHoof A Bird in the Hoof]]".** Interestingly enough, the aforementioned scene in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdInTheHoof A Bird in the Hoof]]" doesn't bend physics to the degree that most examples of the trope do. If you watch carefully, the characters always come out of a door that's set in the same house (or adjoining house) as they door they went in, until Philomena's grand exit from the scene. Neither does the one in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E8TheMysteriousMareDoWell The Mysterious Mare Do Well]]", since [[spoiler: there are at least four Mare Do Wells involved in the chase scene, one of which can canonically teleport.]]* TheScottishTrope: The pegasus mare known to fans as Derpy is a meta-example. While the showrunners are fine with fans using that name, ever since her name was [[OrwellianRetcon removed from the dialog]] of the one episode in which she was voiced, they've been careful to avoid naming her themselves. In NewMedia, they tend to refer to her with periphrastic phrases like "a certain pegasus mare", and on official merchandise, her name is replaced with a drawing of a [[TrademarkFavoriteFood muffin]].* ScreenShake: Standard effect for emphasizing an impact, as well as some other things.* SeasonFluidity: While many episodes are standalone stories, continuity at a season and series level has become more important as the series goes on. [[spoiler: Discord's reformation]] and [[spoiler: the reappearance of the Crystal Empire]], for instance, have now appeared as plot points in future episodes. Probably the biggest example, though, is [[spoiler: Twilight's transformation into an alicorn and subsequent coronation]], which looks set to inform major plot developments in Season 4. * SecondPlaceIsForWinners: An ongoing theme of the series is that winning a competition is less important than bonding with your teammates, and that cooperation is better than competition. Winning for its own sake is not usually the point.** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E13FallWeatherFriends the running of the fall leaves,]] both Applejack and Rainbow Dash are so focused on defeating each other that they both come in ''last.'' Twilight Sparkle places far ahead of what anyone expected... but even she only comes in fifth place, and is quite happy with that.** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E5SisterhoovesSocial the Sisterhooves Social race,]] Sweetie Belle and Rarity place second, but both are so happy to have reconciled with each other that they don't even care.** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin Rainbow Dash's pet race,]] Rainbow ends up giving the prize (pethood) not to the winner of the race but to Tank, the turtle who stayed by her side and helped her when she was hurt. The falcon, who technically won the race (though not under [[ExactWords Dash's terms]]), accepts this with good grace.** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E15TheSuperSpeedyCiderSqueezy6000 the cider-making competition,]] the Apple family loses to the Flim Flam brothers's Wonderful Machine even with the help of the rest of the cast. But because they refused to sacrifice quality for quantity, they win anyway when the other ponies drive Flim and Flam out of town.** The central conflict of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E14TheLastRoundup "The Last Roundup"]] occurs when Applejack fails to earn any blue ribbons or prize money at the Equestrian Rodeo, and runs away because she can't bear to return without the money she had pledged to the Town Hall. The others must convince her that they value her more than any victory or ribbon, and that they're just as proud of her even if she doesn't place first.** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E22HurricaneFluttershy the yearly water lift to Cloudsdale,]] Rainbow Dash initially is gunning for setting a new wing power record. When her best flier and a number of other pegasi fall ill, they are unable to set a new record, but with Fluttershy's help they at least manage to complete the water lift, which is a triumph all by itself.*** There's even a sub-example here; Fluttershy's best speed of 2.3 is still considerably below the average of the other pegasi, but because it was enough to put them over the top, they all cheer and celebrate it for her anyway.** Driven home in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy "Wonderbolt Academy"]]. Lightning Dust may technically have a bit of an edge over even Rainbow Dash because she pushes herself harder (albeit not physically, as the episode portrays them as fairly evenly matched), while Dash, for all her athletic prowess, has shown herself to be a bit of a slacker at times. In the end, though, she still fails and the team leader position goes to Rainbow Dash precisely because Dust is ''too'' competitive and unconcerned about collateral damage as long as she 'wins'.*** It's not that Lightning Dust has more physical ability or even pushes herself harder than Rainbow Dash, she is *reckless* and willing to take unnecessary risks that Rainbow Dash is not.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]'', though Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps ultimately place silver in the relay race, they're still happy with the result. It helps that Ponyville still had the highest medal count at the end, and Rainbow Dash had accepted from the start that beating the Wonderbolts was a long shot.* SealedEvilInACan:** Nightmare Moon was sealed in the Moon for a thousand years as "The Mare in the Moon".** Discord had been [[TakenForGranite imprisoned in a stone statue]] by Celestia and Luna since ancient times for the suffering his rule brought everyone in Equestria. The Cutie Mark Crusaders release him by [[NiceJobBreakingItHero creating discord (fighting) in front of it]], giving him the power to break free from his weakened prison. He's put back in his can at the end of Part 2. [[spoiler:The Mane Six eventually release him and [[HeelFaceTurn reform him]].]]** [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime "It's About Time"]] reveals that there're a bunch of these things sealed away in Tartarus that are guarded by Cerberus.*** In the season 4 finale, it turns out one of them did get loose while Cerberus was away; [[spoiler:''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Tirek]]''.]]** King Sombra was turned into a LivingShadow and imprisoned in the northern ice by Celestia and Luna. They were at least more thorough than with Discord.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'', the tome was hidden away and locked behind a caged door for a reason. But Spike fails to notice any of this.* SequelHook:** The story normally takes place in such a way that any episode can happen any day, but Season 3's premiere ended like this, with [[spoiler:Princess Celestia nodding at Princess Luna, who magically summons a book with [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed stars]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E13HearthsWarmingEve and]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime swirls]] on the cover.]]** The season 3 finale (which incidentally pays off said Starswirl sequel hook) definitely is trying to draw you in for season 4. Twilight [[spoiler: turns into an alicorn and is now a princess of Equestria]]. [[WordOfGod According to the writer's twitter]], she considers this episode the first in a 3-parter. ** Considering season five was announced, plenty in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]''. Such as the whereabouts of Scorpan in all of this, what new powers the rainbow elements entail and how Ponyville will now function as a kingdom, not to mention how Discord's completed reform will be displayed. * SeriesContinuityError:** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon Mare in the Moon]]", the Cutie Mark Crusaders are seen huddling together in fear of Nightmare Moon. The problem? They supposedly first meet in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E12CallOfTheCutie Call of the Cutie]]", eleven episodes later.*** It's also entirely possible that they just all ended up huddling together coincidentally, being frightened young fillies looking for ''any'' source of safety and comfort. They didn't properly "meet" at this time.** In Twilight's {{flashback}} in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles The Cutie Mark Chronicles]]", the egg Spike hatched from is shown to have been purple with darker purple spots. But in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon Mare in the Moon]]", Spike said that he "started out as a cute little purple-and-green egg." (He could've been wrong, though.)*** We never see the other side of the egg, and it's possible that the green may have changed to purple by the time he hatched.** In various flashbacks where the moon is visible, Nightmare Moon's silhouette is no longer cratered on the surface... did she escape early?** At the end of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E3TheTicketMaster The Ticket Master]]", when everypony is given a ticket to the gala, they each appear to pick up their tickets via levitation, when the rest of the series shows that this is a talent which only unicorn ponies have.*** Note that the tickets do not possess the purple aura typically indicating unicorn magic. Which means this is either a double SeriesContinuityError, or the tickets themselves are magical, and float to their owners.** In "Call of the Cutie", Applejack tells Apple Bloom that she was the last in her class to receive her Cutie Mark. In "Cutie Mark Chronicles" however, she begins her story by saying that she was "even littler than y'all". So... did she get her mark at a relatively old age, or a relatively young one?*** Not necessarily an error, if all the ponies in her class got their Cutie Marks young she could have been younger than Apple Bloom and still be the last to get her Cutie Mark. Also, there's no indication of how long Applejack lived with Aunt and Uncle Orange - she may have stayed there long enough to go from being littler than y'all to being a relatively old blank-flank.*** It is amusing to note that every flashback in that episode includes at least one ''possible'' continuity error, though all are subject to [[UnreliableNarrator some degree of interpretation]]. For example, Pinkie Pie's description of her joyless existence on the rock farm and how she learned to smile starkly contrasts the pilot, where she says it was her grandmother who taught her to laugh.** The opening sequence shows Twilight Sparkle and Spike arriving in Ponyville via Twinkling Balloon; in the actual show, they travel there using a Pegasus-drawn chariot. Though this may be more a metaphor for Twilight coming down from Canterlot to Ponyville (becoming more down to earth) rather than a literal retelling. Another possibility is that it isn't her first trip to Ponyville, because the rest of the mane six are waiting for Twilight and Spike when they get out of the balloon.** In "Winter Wrap-Up", Twilight mentions that Ponyville was founded hundreds of years ago. However, in "Family Appreciation Day", It's revealed that Granny Smith was alive (and had her cutie mark, even) during the initial founding of Ponyville. There are three possibilities: Either someone messed up, an intentional retcon was made, or non-alicorn ponies can have a lifespan of over 200 years.*** Apparently, Twilight's mistake. In season four's ''Simple Ways'', Twilight is surprised to find out that Granny Smith is a founder.* SevenDeadlySins: Loops in with AchillesHeel. For ''all'' of them.* ShesAManInJapan: Babs Seed and Derpy Hooves were changed to males in the Hungarian dub.* ShipTease: Despite the theme of the show being, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin friendship]], it does have a number of these moments:** The episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess "Secret of My Excess"]] was basically one big Spike/Rarity tease. In the next episode where they're actually shown together[[note]]Aside from a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E15TheSuperSpeedyCiderSqueezy6000 "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000"[[/note]]]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E21DragonQuest ''Dragon Quest'']], Rarity is ''extremely'' affectionate towards Spike. It should be noted that this is the only case in which one of the parties involved (Spike) is canonically [[PrecociousCrush in love]] [[LittleBoySeeksBigGirl with the other]].** During the PhotoMontage in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 "A Canterlot Wedding Part 2"]], Rainbow Dash is seen with Soarin' (one of the Wonderbolts), Rarity with Fancy Pants, and Spike dancing alongside Sweetie Belle. A [[EarWorm catchy]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEJ8CzAD4TE love song]] is playing when this happens.** In "Rainbow Falls", there are a few moments that look like Fluttershy is flirting with [[GentleGiant Bulk Biceps]] of all ponies.** "Hearts and Hooves Day" is essentially an extended ShipTease between Big Macintosh and Cheerilee. The two of them spend most of the episode under the effects of a LovePotion, but when they come out of, it's left [[MaybeEverAfter thoroughly ambiguous]] whether there are real romantic feelings between them or whether they were just trolling the CMC. The two are seen walking together in a later episode, and in "Filli Vanilli", Cheerilee swoons at Big Mac's singing (though it isn't actually Big Mac singing; he is just lip synching).** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom Part 1]]'', a few of Fluttershy and Discord's moments show them being very close, plus the passing mention of the two having a get-together for tea. When confronting Tirek, Discord tells him he's only capturing him for Fluttershy's sake. He also has a photo of him and Fluttershy together.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', if you look closely at the captured Mane 5 after Discord is drained, you can see Spike holding Rarity.*** Near the end, Discord gives Celestia a bouquet of flowers and winks at her. It does seem like a possible acknowledgement of the fan idea that the two of them [[FoeYay had a thing]] once.*** The Discord/Fluttershy tease is still going strong - Discord softly apologizes to her, and she forgives him. And then there's this little exchange:-->'''Fluttershy:''' ''(to Twilight, on her HeroicSacrifice)'' We're not worth it!\\'''Discord:''' Oh, but ''[[YouAreWorthHell you]]'' are, Fluttershy. You're the pony who taught me that [[TitleDrop Friendship is Magic]]. I had magic ''and'' friendship, and now, I don't have either.* ShoutOut: '''[[ShoutOut/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Too many to list here.]]'''* ShowWithinAShow: Daring Do's story from the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E16ReadItAndWeep Read It and Weep]]" takes place in a fictional setting from a book Rainbow Dash is reading. Whenever she starts reading it the camera fades and shifts into Daring Do's world to see her in action.* ShownTheirWork:** Someone on staff knows their animals. Storyboardists Sabrina "Sibsy" Alberghetti and Raven Molisee attribute this to Creator/LaurenFaust; her series bible had both real horse pictures and anatomy next to her pony drawings to compare anatomy and how limbs and other parts would bend. The storyboardists also had similar pictures to work from. Lauren had insisted they avoid making the ponies perform actions that would be too much like a humans' action (bending a hoof like a hand, for example).*** In many episodes (one of the more obvious examples is at Gummy's birthday party in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E25PartyOfOne "Party of One"]]), the ponies are shown shoving each other around with actions like [[UseYourHead headbutts]] and {{Ass Kicks|You}}, with the targets of these actions typically shrugging them off without so much as an annoyed look. This isn't {{Slapstick}}; RealLife horses are known for being very rambunctious when at play, which is why such roughhousing is sometimes called horseplay.*** Horses will sometimes raise one of their front legs in a kicking motion when nervous, which is what Fluttershy does when she encounters Twilight Sparkle in the first episode.*** Similarly, horses flick their tails in annoyance to shoo away flies and the like. You can see this happen several times in the series when a pony character is annoyed (e.g. Rainbow Dash looking non-nonplussed when the three bullies taunt her during "Sonic Rainboom".)*** Twilight also uses her tail to swat at parasprites in "Swarm of the Century".*** When Applejack pokes Big [=McIntosh=] in the ribs in "Applebuck Season" he responds by raising a haunch and glaring at her. That's an actual threat display by a horse about to kick.*** The way the ponies move in general is very well done. When not being exaggerated for comedy, their joints bend in the same places and directions a real horse's would, and they have correctly animated gaits (walk, trot, canter, gallop) consistent with how fast they're moving. *** The Ponies move their ears back and snort when angry or frightened, just like real horses do.*** If pushed far enough, a disobedient horse will sit down on its rump and refuse to move, exactly like Pinkie does when she refuses to go with Rainbow Dash in "Party of One".*** Fluttershy greeted the Manticore cat-style, leaning forward with her nose for a moment.*** Sexual dimorphism is accurately depicted in Fluttershy's mallard friends.*** The loon in Fluttershy's fantasy in "The Ticket Master" has a red outline on its eye. Red eyes are a distinguishing characteristic of loons.*** Zecora's digging goes unexplained, but real zebras dig for water in the same fashion. The same behavior by a ''horse'', however, is another threat display, so the scene actually makes MORE sense -- Zecora was probably just nervous and a little thirsty, but the ponies around her misinterpreted her body language as grumpy and hostile.*** In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E7Dragonshy Dragonshy]]", Fluttershy is shown falling over stiff-leggedly with fear on several occasions... accompanied by the sound of a goat bleating. This may be a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_goat fainting goats]], a breed of goat which stiffens and falls over when startled.*** In the song "The Art of the Dress" many references are made to actual equine anatomy...and then appropriate parts of the dress are shown being designed and constructed for them, [[ShownTheirWork making it clear]] the writers didn't just grab random words from a "Parts of the Horse" chart. "[[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Parts of the Pony]]," by the way, would be an excellent song in MLP.*** While [[CloudCuckoolander Pinkie]] may be a little strange, in the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen", she is shown rolling around in the grass. That's not her being strange; real horses and ponies will roll around in the grass like that.*** Pinkie Pie removing wet pie filling from her face by covering it with molten chocolate, letting it dry and chipping it off is how some animals remove wet residues from their face using mud. The problem is, animals that usually do this are [[CarnivoreConfusion carnivores removing blood.]]*** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles The Cutie Mark Chronicles]]", filly Fluttershy is drawn differently from most other fillies, having proportionally longer legs than her adult self. This is the correct body proportion for young equines. It also applies to other quadrupeds like deer and antelope, too. Other fillies were drawn in what would be more "human" baby proportions.**** -Although it may have just been a ContinuityNod to "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E5GriffonTheBrushOff Griffon The Brush Off]]" when Fluttershy told Pinkie Pie that she was one year older.**** -It also makes her look like an awkward teenager.**** -It ''also'' is fairly common for future models to be exceptionally tall and gawky during their early teens. And Fluttershy does have, after all, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E20GreenIsntYourColor ze magics]].*** In "The Return of Harmony Part 2", once the ponies capture [[spoiler: brainwashed Rainbow Dash]], she starts to snort and flare her nostrils, an activity consistent with real-life horses under duress. Earlier in the first part, [[spoiler: a brainwashed Fluttershy]] swats Twilight with her tail, this is also something horses will do when particularly annoyed.*** The ponies' mindsets are also very accurate. Horses are incredibly skittish creatures due to being a prey animal; as a result, they often freak out and panic at anything that frightens them, which shows up as background ponies freaking out.*** Little Strongheart from "Over A Barrel" is the correct size and colour of a young buffalo.*** The clicking noise Pinkie makes in "Baby Cakes" when she thinks Pound Cake has wandered off is a real sound that horses are trained to respond to.*** The goats from "Putting Your Hoof Down" have oblong pupils, just like real goats.*** In ''[=MMMystery=] on the Friendship Express, Pinkie Pie scratches herself behind her ear like a dog. Actual ponies and foals will do this when they're young, but are unable to do this once they become fully grown adults.*** From ''The Cutie Pox'': it's easy to miss, but every step of Twilight's buck when she dumps Spike (for a lame joke in a serious situation) is exactly how a real horse would dump it's rider, including her pinned ears and leading with her front legs first to put the "snap" into the whole motion. ** It could just be a coincidence, but it [[http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7096/1294009768004.jpg would appear]] that potato chips and soda can indeed produce something that could be mistaken for a muffin. (The main problem in that picture seems to be the effects of the melted gummy worms.)** Applejack uses the correct game terminology while playing horseshoes with Rainbow Dash in "Fall Weather Friends".** Fluttershy's "freaky knowledge" of fashion when Rarity presses her for criticism.** Dragons are routinely shown hoarding treasure and eating gemstones. In many myths dragons ingest precious stones in order to fuel their fire.** A rock Rarity is looking at is broken by the effect of [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom]]. In real life, sound waves can break rocks, and they've actually been used to break kidney stones. Also, the writers have shown their geology. Large rocks that are filled with gems when split open? They're called geodes.** There's absolutely nothing wrong with Twilight's description of comets in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]" (also see SchizoTech above).** A minor one, but in "Luna Eclipsed", Princess Luna speaks in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majestic_plural Majestic Plural]].** The Windigos in "Hearth's Warming Eve" are represented with frightening accuracy as spirits of famine and cold that feed off hatred and in-fighting.*** Debatable. The "famine and cold" part is correct, but many Wendigo myths involve ''cannibalism'' more than hatred and in-fighting. Though this could be Justified with it being a kids' show and all, [[{{Cupcakes}} despite what the fandom says]].*** Well, when Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane grew impatient. They began stamping their hooves on their ground just like real horses when they're annoyed.** The bad guy in Read it and Weep is Ahuizotl, an authentic Aztec creature. Do they really expect kids to get these references?** In another mythology example: The first time Iron Will, who is a Minotaur, is encountered in a maze. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur lived in a maze constructed by Daedalus [[note]]of Icarus fame[[/note]] under the order of King Minos.** In ''Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000'' they show a lot of work: Cider season is a very real thing and lasts only a few weeks; cider has no meaningful shelf life and so must be made fresh daily, the cider press shown is a real (and very old-fashioned) model, and the eponymous machine would indeed outperform the Apples' old method by about five to one, as claimed.* ShrinkingViolet: Fluttershy, naturally. Princess Luna also shows a few shades of this in ''Luna Eclipsed'', after the entire town cowers in fear from here, thinking she's still evil, despite her HeelFaceTurn.* ShrunkInTheWash: This happens after Sweetie Belle washes Rarity's clothes without permission. In this case, it's only one specific wool sweater that shrinks after it's put out to dry. Rarity is very angry at first, and then later realizes that the smaller size makes it a perfect fit for her cat.* SickEpisode: One of the Polish and Norwegian [[TieInNovel magazine stories]].** ''The Cutie Pox'' involves Apple Bloom contracting a potentially life-threatening illness.** ''Three's a Crowd'' has Twilight and Cadance having to take care of Discord, who has apparently contracted an illness called "Blue Flu", though [[spoiler: this was proven at the end to be another one of Discord's tricks to test Twilight's friendship with him. Whether or not the alleged sickness actually exists in Equestria or if it was just conjured up by Discord is unknown, but it's possible]].* SicklyGreenGlow:** Princess Cadance is shown to have a magical aura that is best described as "radioactive green". [[spoiler:The flashback that shows her actual aura is light blue rings the bell that something is ''definitely'' wrong; in truth, the green aura is that of the changeling Queen Chrysalis, who's kidnapped and replaced the real Cadance.]]** Rarity's magic is changed to this colour by the ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'' spell, and her eyes take on the same colour.* SideStoryBonusArt:** [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39435_8.jpg An]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39436_7.jpg apparent]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39435_9.jpg set]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39436_2.jpg of]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39435_5.jpg at]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39436_3.jpg least]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39435_4.jpg ten]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39436_1.jpg different]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39435_2.jpg promotional]] [[http://www.cyfraplus.pl/ms_galeria/galeria/39436_4.jpg scenes]] has shown up (in whole or in part) on various official websites. While one clearly depicts a scene from the end of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony "Friendship is Magic, part 2"]] and a few others resemble other scenes from the show, some are entirely original.** In the initial version of a [[http://www.hubworld.com/hubworld/specials/littlest-pet-shop-downloadables/assets/printables/playdate-recipes.pdf recipes PDF]] on Creator/TheHub's website, the page for Cutie Mark Crusaders Chocolate Popcorn included a FlashForward (originally [[http://fav.me/d397gyq fanart]] drawn by layout artist Kat Stenson long before becoming part of the show's crew) that depicted Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all grown up with cutie marks.* SirSwearsalot: It's a kids show so there's no actual cursing, but if one counts the use of phrases like "What the hay...?" or "Oh, horse-apples" as profanity, Applejack has the foulest mouth of the Mane 6 followed closely by Rainbow Dash.* SissyVillain: Discord seems to enjoy bouncing, skipping and skating on ice or even soap. And even cross-dressing at times.* SixStudentClique** The Head: Rarity[[note]]Being the head doesn't equal being the leader. And she often uses her wits to get what she wants. Of course, Twilight Sparkle fits as well given her smarts.[[/note]]** The Muscle: Applejack[[note]]Rainbow Dash fits as well.[[/note]]** The Quirk: Pinkie Pie[[note]]Twilight Sparkle fits as well.[[/note]]** The Pretty One: Fluttershy[[note]]It could be argued that all of them fit this category, with Rarity coming a close second for this role, but process of elimination brings her to this.[[/note]]** The Smart One: Twilight Sparkle[[note]]Again, it could be argued as all of them are quite knowledgeable when it comes to their respective expertise/career, but Twilight seems to be the one who frequently plays the role within the show.[[/note]]** The Wild One: Rainbow Dash[[note]]Pinkie Pie fits as well.[[/note]]* SixthRanger: Babs Seed becomes the fourth Cutie Mark Crusader. The fandom seems to have accepted this with no complaints.* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: The ponies see their share of AmusingInjuries, particularly Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. Dash doesn't have the nickname "Rainbow Crash" for nothing.** Most notably, Twilight Sparkle during "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E11WinterWrapUp Winter Wrap Up]]" and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]]". Ouch.** Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's rivalry escalates to Tom-and-Jerry levels in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E13FallWeatherFriends Fall Weather Friends]]".** Fluttershy [[FacePlant plowing face-first]] into the door of her house in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]"** Philomena vomiting on Fluttershy's face in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdInTheHoof A Bird in the Hoof]]".** The crew tries to ensure that Rarity's perfect coiffure is ruined at least OnceAnEpisode.** In her interview for the ''[[Film/BroniesTheExtremelyUnexpectedAdultFansOfMyLittlePony Bronies]]'' documentary, Creator/LaurenFaust has this to say about putting slapstick into a show for and about girls:---> "What I kinda had to push for in the beginning was making it funny. That was actually really hard, 'cause like even my crew, even the other artists, jumped to this conclusion that it had to be really soft. And I was like, 'No, it's funny that that character tripped and fell. Make her hit her face really hard, you know? That's funny!'"* SlasherSmile: Pinkie Pie gets a frightening one in "Party of One" when she was playing a party with inanimate objects as her guests. Twilight Sparkle gets several in "Lesson Zero", but most frightening was when she bursts out of the bushes, complete with insane giggling. It didn't help that she was watching the Cutie Mark Crusaders at the time, which gives the impression that she's a... yeah.* SleepMask: Rarity, in ''Sisterhooves Social.'' Pinkie Pie wears one in one of the German [[ComicBookAdaptation magazine comics]] ([[{{Scanlation}} scanlated]] as ''A Bright Idea'').* SliceOfLife: Many of the episodes are like this, at least by Pony standards. The show seldom uses antagonistic characters, so the problems the ponies must overcome are usually those with relationships or their surroundings.** Particularly Slice-of-Life-ish episodes are ''Look Before You Sleep", "The Show-Stoppers", "Luna Eclipsed'' and ''Sisterhooves Social.''* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: There are a lot of animals and creatures of varying degrees of anthropomorphism inhabiting the show's world. Most of which are either {{Talking Animal}}s or {{Civilized Animal}}s.** Ponies, zebras, donkeys, griffons, and buffaloes are '''Body Type 6''' {{Civilized Animal}}s[[note]]Though this might not be entirely accurate as they have displayed feats, intelligence and motivation comparable if not exactly like that of a human yet they still retain a quite a few animal behaviors.[[/note]]. Crosses FunnyAnimal territory at times especially in comedic situations.** The diamond dogs and the fictional character Ahuitzotl[[note]]The closest thing to classify him as at least.[[/note]] are '''Body Type 4''' PettingZooPeople.** Some farm animals like cattle (bulls and cows) and sheep are '''Body Type 6''' {{Talking Animal}}s.** Dragons and (possibly) sea serpents are {{Partially Civilized Animal}}s of varying body types.** Hydras, manticores, cockatrices, phoenixes, most woodland creatures (especially the small and furry ones) and some of the mane cast's pets are '''Body Type 6''' {{Nearly Normal Animal}}s.** Iron Will and by extension the rest of his kind are '''Body Type 3''' PettingZooPeople.* SlidingScaleOfAnimalCommunication: Level 5 - all hoofed animals (and griffons; they have paws and talons) seem to be able to converse freely with the ponies. Pets, monsters and other creatures reach various levels of IntellectualAnimal, but generally can't communicate beyond their species.** Fluttershy breaks this occasionally, but she's explicitly stated to be able to understand animals "on a higher level". Probably part of being a FriendToAllLivingThings.** The one exception to the above appears to be goats, as seen in "Putting Your Hoof Down."** Steven Magnet, a sea serpent, is also quite fluent in speaking to ponies, as are all three heads of the Chimera.* SlidingScaleOfContinuity: A level 3 (Subtle Continuity), there are {{Continuity Nod}}s and {{Call Back}}s to previous episodes but with the exception of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon cer]][[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony tain]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 two]]-[[Recap/MyLittleponyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 part]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 ep]][[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 is]][[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 od]][[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 es]], the episodes for the first three seasons are more-or-less stand-alone. As of season 4, the series is gradually edging toward level 4 (Arc-Based Episodic), mixed with some stand-alone episodes.* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Quite idealistic, but with a satisfying dash of cynicism mixed in. For example, in "Over a Barrel", the conflict driving the episode is ultimately easily solved because both sides are basically decent -- but at the same time, the idea that it could be solved by singing a cute song that will make everyone love each other is mercilessly mocked. In general, problems often arise because the characters aren't perfect, but there's nothing the PowerOfFriendship won't solve by the end of the story, even if it involves [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punching out Cthulhu]].** One good example of this series' usage of Mostly-idealistic-but-with-a-dash of cynicism is the ending of "Suited For Success". After a nice show of friendship and a heartwarming moment where Rarity does forgive her friends, she then points out that her career is still ruined. It was then saved by a second chance by Hoity Toity.* SlouchOfVillainy:** In the season 2 premiere, [[RealityWarper Discord]] gets in on a bit of this action during the climactic scene via use of his [[CoolChair evil-looking throne]], though his posture varies moment by moment as a reflection of his chaotic personality.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', when Tirek is [[TheUsurper seated on Celestia's throne]], his posture has a decidedly unroyal air.* SmartBall: As deranged as Pinkie Pie can very often be, [[TheCloudCuckooLanderWasRight she actually does know what she is talking about sometimes]]. [[SmugSuper Rainbow Dash]] seems to be picking this up every now and then as well.* SmashToBlack: Done frequently in many act breaks.* TheSmurfettePrinciple: ** {{Invert|edTrope}}s the Smurfette Principle with Spike, who is the only male in the regular cast, and the only other significantly reoccurring male characters being Applejack and Twilight's brothers, Big [=McIntosh=] and Shining Armor.** Major villains are currently gender equal (male Discord, King Sombra, and Tirek, female Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, and Starlight Glimmer), but lesser antagonists tend to be either female or random monsters.[[/folder]]

[[folder:S (n-z)]]* SnowballFight: Happens in one of the German [[ComicBookAdaptation comics]]. [[AnthropomorphicZigZag The ponies get up on their hind legs and throw snowballs with their front legs.]]* SocietyOnEdgeEpisode: The two-parters in general are these in comparison to the rest of the series, catching most major characters off guard in each case. The conflicts in the rest of the series seem mundane in comparison.** The Nightmare Moon arc involved the threat of [[TheNightThatNeverEnds eternal darkness]]. ** The Discord arc involved turning Equestria into a WorldOfChaos. ** The Canterlot Wedding two-parter involved a wedding plan coinciding with a need for increased security due to a mysterious threat against Canterlot. [[spoiler:(Turned out it was connected to the wedding, namely due to the involvement of [[EmotionEater Chrysalis and the changelings]] in each.)]]** The King Sombra arc involved the threat of the enslavement of an entire kingdom.* SolidClouds: Clouds are a strange example. The [[{{Pegasus}} pegasi]] ponies can interact with them as if they are solid, and have the job as a race to manage the weather. [[WingedUnicorn alicorns]], who have the properties of all three pony races, Griffons, and other flying animals can sit on clouds as well. For most other ponies, clouds act as they would in real life without magical assistance.* SomethingElseAlsoRises: While it (presumably) doesn't indicate arousal, it is shown numerous times that a pegasus's wings can snap out suddenly when they get excited. The fandom has fully pounced on the idea and it is now known as a "wingboner".* TheSomethingSong: Although many of the musical numbers have been given names by the fans, composer Daniel Ingram's website lists many of the songs as "Laughter Song", "The Gala Song", "The Ticket Song", etc.* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Season 1's only true villain is a SealedEvilInACan MadGod with the intention of plunging the world into TheNightThatNeverEnds, but turns out to be an AntiVillain whose attempts to stop the protagonists [[NiceJobFixingItVillain do more good than harm]]. Seasons 2 begins with the mane cast facing off with [[RealityWarper reality warping]] [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Spirit Of Disharmony]] who is not only truly malevolent, but [[spoiler:effortlessly [[BreakTheCutie breaks]] and {{Mind Rape}}s them without a second thought and [[DownerEnding ends the first episode unquestionably victorious]].]] Sure, there were some minor "villains" between them, but Discord is without a doubt ''far'' more dangerous than Nightmare Moon.** And WordOfGod has hinted that it may have been another more powerful/evil force that corrupted Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon, and helped free Discord.** Then, at the second season finale, there was [[spoiler: Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling armada. While perhaps not quite up there with Discord, having made a number of grave mistakes regarding Twilight, she still came very close to succeeding. Her plan on the whole went off without a hitch, her armies defeated the mane cast before they could even get to their greatest weapon, and more importantly, she made a fool of Celestia the whole way through, with both deceit and raw power.]]** King Sombra's placement is a bit difficult. While ''how'' powerful he truly is is not seen, he displays powerful magic and is strong enough to brainwash the entire Crystal Empire and make it vanish for a thousand years, and required the Princesses to intervene to beat him the first time. He's most certainly the most [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy competent]] and [[NoNonsenseNemesis dangerous]] of the villains, and nearly won simply due to [[CrazyPrepared how well he planned]]. So even if he's not as powerful, he may be the most dangerous.** And now season 4 is done and we have [[spoiler:Lord Tirek]], who was more powerful, more menacing, and more flat-out evil than every other villain listed in this entry ''all put together''. Discord was his helpless pawn, and what he was doing to ponies made Sombra look almost humane. The mind boggles at how they can possibly top this one for season 5.** Subverted as it turns out with [[spoiler: The season premier villain being a smart, but otherwise not powerful to the level of the rest of the seasonal villains unicorn]]. In fact [[spoiler:the mane six don't even need to use the Elements or Rainbow Powers and [[GuileHero defeat Starlight with pure guile]].]]* SpaceWhaleAesop: Due to the fantasy nature of the show and the requirement for an [[AnAesop Aesop]] per episode, this was inevitable.** From [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E7Bats ''Bats!'']]: If you let your friends pressure you into doing something you don't think is right, you could turn into an apple-hungry bat-pony hybrid.** It's better to give than receive — [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess or else you'll turn into a giant greedy monster and practically destroy your hometown]].* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Fluttershy is the ''DoctorDolittle'' of the group; though there are a few animals she isn't able to speak with, at least at first.* SpearCounterpart:** In Season 4 episode Pinkie Pride, Cheese Sandwich is introduced and characterized as essentially a male Pinkie Pie.* SpeciesSurname: ** Angel Bunny, though he's usually referred to as just Angel.** In Season 1, the owner of the doughnut shop in Canterlot was known as Pony Joe. Later, is Season 2, he's known as Doughnut Joe.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]'', Ms. Harshwhinny constantly refers to Spike as "Mr. [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The]] Dragon".* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Besides some character names (see the [[Characters/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Characters pages]] for those), a few other names haven't always been spelled the same by official sources, such as Manehatten/Manehattan.* SphereOfPower:** In the {{Pensieve Flashback}}s of the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E2PrincessTwilightSparklePart2 "Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 2"]], the Elements of Harmony when rotating around Celestia in the first flashback, and then again, around both Luna and Celestia in the second (earlier) one, form a Sphere of Power.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', the Mane Six imbued with the Rainbow Power are surrounded by a bright, multicolored sphere that [[PowerFloats Lift them in the air]] and is [[NoSell completely imprevious]] to Tirek's attack. Then, after defeating the villain, it expands into a WorldHealingWave.* SpikesOfVillainy:** [[EvilOverlord King Sombra]] has a crown adorned with spikes. Even more prominent is his {{unicorn}} horn, which is so curved and sharp that it more closely resembles a spike that's been driven through his head.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]'', as if the book hidden behind a wall on a pedestal over a pit weren't suspicious enough, it has these on the cover.* SpinOffBabies: So far limited to nine So Soft toys (of [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=75B991DA-5056-900B-10B6-1A6452E20001 Pinkie Pie]], [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=BE0E05EA-5056-900B-101B-08FAC4AD0DBD Sweetie Belle]], [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=75772F80-5056-900B-1039-71172F211DE6 Sunny Daze]], [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=C3C2BBC9-5056-900B-1091-96AF1754A2C0 Spike]], [[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=C3C6D6FB-5056-900B-106B-67B78BDCFAFF Rainbow Dash]], Princess Skyla, Apple Sprout, Cottonbelle, and Pinkie Pie again) plus [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrtUFeDB7gg two]] [[http://vimeo.com/46931583 commercials]]. Three of the toys are of characters who haven't appeared in the show (Princess Skyla, Apple Sprout, and Cottonbelle), so those characters may be babies in the present day.* SpiritualSuccessor:** The show is one to ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop1995'' in that both are zany, witty cartoons based off of otherwise ballyhooed girls toys.** The WebGames ''[[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=5B309E58-5056-900B-1040-324367303E14 Castle]] [[http://treehousetv.com/kids/games/activity.aspx?ID=1868&showID=121 Creator]]'', ''[[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=0F6B55AF-5056-900B-1013-CD724A8D4018 Card Creator]]'', and [[http://www.hubworld.com/my-little-pony/shows/friendship-is-magic/games/mlpfim-twilight-sparkle-royal-invitation-designer Twilight Sparkle's]] ''[[http://royalwedding.hubworld.com/invitations.html Royal Invitation Designer]]'' are similar to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 G3]] WebGames ''[[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=81F44F90-A168-49D3-8ADC-B349FB46E003 Ponyville Forever]]'' and ''[[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=75EA01E8-C493-4204-AFA2-4CED01ECBE58 Friendship Ball]]''.* SpoiledBrat: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who are an AlphaBitch duo and are constantly bullying young ponies without a cutie mark, specifaclly the Cutie Mark Crusaders.** Fluttershy's main pet companion, Angel Bunny, who is known for having tantrums aimed at Fluttershy when he doesn't get what he wants, including one small simple topping on a salad he wanted. ** Since his reformation, Discord has shown traits similar to that of a child when they don't get what they want. His anger at Fluttershy when he fails to corrupt her in the maze using his mind games and instead resorting to force, is an example. In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", his rant to Fluttershy about 'doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants' and being 'bossed around' by her, sounds a lot like an angry child to their parents. In fact, Fluttershy acts a lot like a mother toward him when he does or wants to do something wrong, such as his shrinking at her when she tells him to stop thinking what he was thinking in "Princess Twilight Sparkle part 2".* SpoilerOpening:** The show's ending credits list the names of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as main characters right from the debut episode. Less of a spoiler given that half the season goes by before they appear again, and viewers wouldn't know who they are until that point.** The {{Novelization}} of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E7Dragonshy Dragonshy]]" puts angry Fluttershy right on the cover.** As shown briefly in Rarity's "Hot Minute" video, the opening for season 4 will [[spoiler: apparently be updated to feature Twilight with her alicorn wings]]. * SquashedFlat: Twilight Sparkle in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]]". A door slams into her twice in the episode, resulting in this trope (sort of).** Applejack in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E4ApplebuckSeason Applebuck Season]]", when she hit the ground after her first miss onto Rainbow Dash's seesaw.** Fluttershy in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]". While trying to make an escape into her house, Twilight shuts the door, causing her to pancake herself on it.* SqueakyEyes: Used for some emphasized blinking, as when Fluttershy is being persuasively cute or Pinkie Pie is being ditzily innocent. Aside from this specific trope, eyeballs moving in some notable way also sometimes make noises.* {{Squee}}: The best description for the sounds made by ponies when they grin out of either contentment or embarassment. In-show, this is Rainbow Dash's reaction every time she's close to the Wonderbolts.* StableTimeLoop: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime "It's About Time"]].* StandardPowerupPose: This pose is adopted by some of the mane six when they use the power of the Elements of Harmony.** [[spoiler:When Twilight was transformed into an Alicorn she took this pose when the power entered her.]]* StandardSnippet:** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver The Best Night Ever]]", before Pinkie Pie starts changing the musical program, the quartet is playing a very subdued version of the second movement of Mozart's ''Eine Kleine Nachtmusik''.** ''Ride of the Valkyries'' during the air race in "May the Best Pet Win".* StaringDownCthulhu: Fluttershy has subdued a dragon (who was so large each of his eyes was around the same size as her body) and a cockatrice (whose gaze was turning her to stone as she did so, but still gave up first) by staring them down and scolding them. She's even part of the trope image.* StatusQuoIsGod: Every other episode each of the mane cast needs to re-learn how to be a good friend. This might be a meta-Aesop, though -- that building and maintaining strong friendships takes constant work. It's even {{Lampshade}}d in the aesop of several episodes, such as "The Return of Harmony" and "Sisterhooves Social."** In spite of saving all of Equestria at least twice, no one outside of Ponyville seems to know them. They're on stained glass windows in the castle, for Celestia's sake! However, they don't seem to make an active effort on showing this off.* {{Stealth Pun}}s: Hidden several places, including ** One of the stealthiest is Twilight's own name. [[Literature/{{Twilight}} "Twilight...Sparkle"]].*** And [[WordOfGod to top it off]], when LaurenFaust was [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2216411631 asked]] if the name was an intentional joke, her [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2216416237 response]] was "It passed legal."** In the first episode, "The Mare in the Moon", we can see that Twilight Sparkle (who is more interested in her studies than in making friends) makes her home in a tall, off-white structure (i.e. an ''ivory tower'').** When Nightmare Moon was imprisoned in the moon, she appeared as a large dark spot on the moon's surface, and is referred to as The Mare in the Moon. A dark spot on the moon is known as a sea, or in Latin, ''mare.''[[note]]Yes, everypony knows it's pronounced differently, but still.[[/note]]*** There's also the more obvious pun behind her name where she's a mare who controls the night, making her literally a Night''mare''.** In the second episode, "The Elements of Harmony", "The book said when the five are present, a ''spark'' will cause the sixth element to be revealed." Spark or Sparkle?---> '''Nightmare Moon:''' The spark didn't work!\\'''Twilight Sparkle:''' But it did. A different ''kind'' of spark.** The Wonderbolts are heavily based off of the Blue Angels (and other aerobatics teams), and utilize a winged thunderbolt as their logo. The dark-mirror Shadowbolts used, as their uniform Cutie Mark, a winged ''skull''. A winged skull logo was also used, at one time, by the ''Hell's'' Angels. Subtle, but very clever.** In "The Ticket Master", when Rarity is ranting about how her fashion will allow her and Twilight to impress all the Canterlot elite at the Grand Galloping Gala, she has literal [[WingdingEyes stars in her eyes]].** The two male ponies, Snips and Snails, are a pun based on the old adage that girls are made of "sugar and spice and everything nice," while boys are made of "snips and snails and puppy dog tails." Given this show's status as a kids' show, it's probably unlikely that we'll see a boy pony named "Puppy Dog Tails," but the other two can work as names in a fictitious environment.** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters Boast Busters]]", the name "Trixie" is a diminutive of 'Beatrix', meaning 'voyager, traveler', and Trixie is a travelling performer.** "Oh, horse apples!" is a double pun - "horse apples" is a nickname for the fruit of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera the Osage orange tree]] and [[Radar/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic a slang term for horse dung]].** In "Feeling Pinkie Keen", Twilight stops to stand on a crate and lecture Pinkie about why she has a hard time believing in the latter's "Pinkie Sense". Said crate originally had some bars and bottles of soap on it, which means Twilight ''literally'' got on a soap box.** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E16SonicRainboom "Sonic Rainboom"]], Pinkie Pie decides to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skittles_(confectionery) "taste the rainbow"]] but finds it not to her liking.*** Rainbow Dash pulls off the Sonic Rainboom and wins the Young Fliers' Competition with it. One might say she ''passed with flying colours''.** "You're like the queen of stares!" "You're the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairmaster Stare Master!]]"** In "Green Isn't Your Color", when Fluttershy is being chased around by paparazzi, one of them is a pegasus with a dollar sign as his cutie mark. Given pony naming conventions, this means his name is probably ''Money Shot''.** In "Over a Barrel", we see a train pulled by several ponies. We just saw the pony express.** Applejack's story in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles The Cutie Mark Chronicles]]" details her attempt to move to the city to live with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. The CityMouse[=/=]CountryMouse plot is played completely straight, revealing to Applejack that she's nothing like the city folk. It's like comparing Apples and Oranges.*** Similarly, she says "I'm so hungry, I could eat..."** Rarity is a pony who designs clothes. She's a ''clotheshorse''.** Rarity owns a female cat named Opal, which is a type of gemstone. In "Return of Harmony", Rarity [[spoiler: brings home a large "diamond" named Tom]].** In "Lesson Zero", Twilight Sparkle shows the Cutie Mark Crusaders her toy, Smarty Pants, who comes with accessories such as homework. It also appears to be some kind of donkey, making it a [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar smart ass]].** In "Sweet and Elite", when talking to Fancypants, after having mentioned staying at the princess' castle, she places Opalescence into one of her carrier-bags. Why? Because she let the cat out of the bag. (Admittedly not the same bag, but still).** In "Secret of My Excess", Spike goes on a greedy rampage through Ponyville. Part of that includes going to Sugarcube Corner and stealing all the cakes. Pinkie Pie immediately calls out, "How dare you take the cake!" This is a subtle reference to the phrase "taking the cake."*** In the same episode, Spike's gigantic pile of wildly assorted presents includes a kitchen sink.** In "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", Pinkie and friends hold a TicketLineCampout to be the first to get that season's Sweet Apple Acres cider...in other words, camping in line waiting for the yearly new Apple products.** In "Read It and Weep", a hospitalized pony with a crazed expression and straitjacket vocalizes like a dog - making her barking mad. Also, the fact that her cutie mark is a screw makes much more sense when you consider that she's literally a screw loose.** In "A Friend In Deed," Pinkie parodies a few lines from the song "Yankee Doodle Boy" (a.k.a. "Yankee Doodle ''Dandy''"). In the musical that popularized the song, the "Yankee Doodle Dandy" was a horse jockey.*** The song also borrows lyrics from the folk song that inspired it, "Yankee Doodle." What did Yankee Doodle come to town riding on, again?** The plot of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E24MysteryOnTheFriendshipExpress MMMystery on the Friendship Express]] involves [[PinkertonDetective detective work by someone who happens to be pink.]]** The day after "A Canterlot Wedding" -- in which Princess Cadance (sic) [[spoiler:is revealed to be a {{vil|eVillainSaccharineShow}}lain in disguise]] -- aired, a music geek discovered that one of the songs[[labelnote:*]](Namely, "BBBFF", ''not'' the VillainSong as is often circulated)[[/labelnote]] contains a chord progression known as a [[http://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/sm22p/a_spoiler_in_the_song/ known as a]] UsefulNotes/DeceptiveCadence. And then the song's composer [[http://twitter.com/#!/dannyimusic/status/193926339043147777 confirmed via Twitter]] that it was totally intentional.** In "Magical Mystery Cure," the song "What My Cutie Mark Is Telling Me" details results of the [[InAnotherMansShoes cutie mark swap]]. There's very distinctive transitions between stanzas, which appear in jazz and musicals. [[spoiler: It's known as a turnaround, which can also mean 'the reversal of a situation or circumstances'.]]** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom Part 1]]'', Discord appears in a FourStarBadass costume. You could say he's... ''General Chaos''.** A cutie mark represents who a pony is. So when Starlght Glimmer steals them from the mane six in "The Cutie Map", she's comitting [[spoiler: identity theft.]]** The twittermites in "Bloom and Gloom" are insects that can [[ShockAndAwe generate electricity]], which makes them ''lightning bugs''.* {{Steampunk}}: Some of the [[TheMerch officially licensed merchandise]].* StepfordSmiler:** While Pinkie Pie's smiles are usually sincere, she becomes a major type C in the episode "Party of One".*** And then becomes a type A in the episode "Pinkie Pride".** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E1PrincessTwilightSparklePart1 Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Celestia]] reveals to Twilight that while she put on a brave face for her subjects, to her, the Summer Sun Celebration was just a bitter reminder that she'd had to banish ''her own sister'' after her FaceHeelTurn.** Rarity sometimes has shades of this as well, her desire to always appear elegant and graceful sometimes leads her to repress her anger and frustration. "Sisterhooves Social" is probably the clearest example, as she spends the bulk of the episode trying to keep a happy face as her sister causes increasing amounts of trouble for her.** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', when Twilight tries to reassure Spike that everything's fine, she forces a big, insincere grin to her face.* StevenUlyssesPerhero: Everypony is given a name at birth that will one day reflect their special talent, personality, and / or profession. Characters seem to be pretty GenreBlind to this fact, especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Subverted, sometimes, with ponies like Rarity or Pinkie Pie; their names don't completely match their personality, profession or their cutie mark (the former, while it's true that she had gems as her cutie mark, it seems that in Equestria gems aren't that rare, and the latter, while having the word pink in her name, is almost not feminine at all, and she's not specialized in making pies).* StickySituation:** [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E23PonyvilleConfidential "Ponyville Confidential"]] has Snips and Snails getting their rears stuck together by bubblegum. When this ends up on the newspaper, they ''willingly'' demonstrate it for their classmates (despite still having patches of fur missing from the earlier incident) because they are such class clowns.--->'''Sweetie Belle:''' Snips and Snails and bubblegum [[EpicFail fail]].** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E7MakeNewFriendsButKeepDiscord "Make New Friends but Keep Discord"]], the Smooze's slime is (thankfully) not corrosive, but it is extremely adhesive. We see Rainbow Dash getting entirely unable to take flight once her hooves are glued to the floor by it, despite her efforts. Also, Fluttershy and Tree Hugger end up stuck against a glass window by the slime, Tree Hugger upside-down (not that she seems to care...).* StockFootage: There's a lot of detail going into the animation for this show, so the animators sometimes reuse objects in different episodes, sometimes leading to a continuity error. For example, in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E3TheTicketMaster "The Ticket Master"]], Fluttershy imagines herself befriending Canterlot's wildlife, including various colored jays. Those jays can be seen in a birdhouse near Fluttershy's home in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E25PartyOfOne "Party of One,"]] when she and Rainbow Dash are StereoFibbing to Pinkie Pie. Also, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie's gala dresses are in Fluttershy's closet at the beginning of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdInTheHoof "A Bird in the Hoof"]]. Sometimes done for laughs, like Rarity's Hollywood-fainting twice in a row in "Bridle Gossip".* StockScream: The famous Wilhelm scream has heard a few times throughout the series. See the trope entry for examples.* StockSoundEffects:** From "A Bird In The Hoof", Fluttershy's high-pitched whimper as Philomena's ashes fall through her hooves is identical to her whimper when she met Twilight Sparkle in part one of the pilot.*** While trying aromatherapy, Philomena's sneeze is the same as Rarity's sneeze during "Griffon the Brush-off".** And Rarity's "Wahaha!" which has so far been heard in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon Mare in the Moon]]", "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E16SonicRainboom Sonic Rainboom]]", and the "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p50-oWY1pFE There's a Pony For That]]" commercial.** Pinkie Pie's "MMM nom nom" eating sound effect is used several times, including more than once in "A Bird in the Hoof".** The squeaky rubber duck noise whenever anypony smiles really cutely. It's been used before in the ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' episodes "Coming of the Fuzors" (Part 2) and "Crossing The Rubicon" as well as the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Bossy Boots", and it's also been used in the Doritos ''[[SuperBowlSpecial Crash the Super Bowl]]'' 2013 finalist ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvyAlEfnoYg Road Chip]]''.*** Spike will make a similar sound when he's physically abused.** And the crowd-wide ''gasp'' that can be heard when Twilight manipulates Fluttershy. Can be heard just before Photo Finish falls backwards.** Pinkie Pie's gasp when she first sees Twilight in the first episode gets used again throughout the show whenever a gasp is needed.*** It's also played backwards when Fluttershy inhales before letting loose with a too-quiet "Yay" in the cold open of "Sonic Rainboom".** One of the roars that the Ursa Minor makes is a stock sound effect that was also used for the Mini Battlelord in ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D''.*** For that matter, the Hydra from [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen "Feeling Pinkie Keen"]] makes a lot of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' noises.** Granny Smith angrily yells her groggy "Soup's on!" from the first episode when Scootaloo clips her on her scooter.** The screech Rarity unleashes upon losing her [[GemEncrusted diamond-encrusted]] purple ribbon in "Lesson Zero" is the same one she lets loose with in "Swarm of the Century", when she finds herself trapped in Carousel Boutique as parasprites actively devour it and everything inside.** The clang of Sweetie-Belle running into a metal fan during "Show Stoppers" is the same sound used for impacts with metal in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' (most noticeable when using the crowbar). [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zelpxNrmQ18 This has not gone by unnoticed.]]*** In the same episode, we have one of the "impact with wood" sounds from the same game when Apple Bloom trips and [[FacePlant falls flat on her face]] on the way to the stage. It later appears in ''The Cutie Mark Chronicles'' when Scootaloo hits a tree branch, and again in ''Sisterhooves Social'' when Applejack slams a door with her hoof. Guess the show's staff has been killing some headcrabs lately...** The sound used when [[ItMakesSenseInContext Applejack slams Pinkie's head in a door]] and when [[IndulgentFantasySegue Spike beats up some Diamond Dogs]] was also used when killing a guard dog in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''.** Another one is the treadmill-contraption Applejack runs within in ''The Last Roundup''. The sound it makes as it spins is somewhat common in video games where sliding doors are made out of stone.(''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' are two examples).** The sound of Spike's quill on parchment in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E21DragonQuest Dragon Quest]]'' is the exact same sound of a note being jotted down in both the ''VideoGame/{{Penumbra}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent Amnesia]]'' series.* StoryArc: Although the episodes besides the two-part pilot are self-contained, as Hasbro wanted, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E3TheTicketMaster The Ticket Master]]", "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E14SuitedForSuccess Suited For Success]]", and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver The Best Night Ever]]" form a three-part story arc about the Grand Galloping Gala. The writers were also able to slip in some {{Continuity Nod}}s throughout the first season.** Conversely, the second season doesn't really have much of a story arc, which was unfortunate because there was no opportunity to set up Twilight's relationships with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in advance. However, Season 2 did have three episodes about Twilight becoming paranoid ("[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero Lesson Zero]]", "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime It's About Time]]", and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 A Canterlot Wedding]]") and only being [[ProperlyParanoid properly]] so once, but there's no attempt to connect them together.** Season 3 has the mysterious book glimpsed at the end of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 "The Crystal Empire"]] 2-parter that reappears in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure "Magical Mystery Cure"]]. If you squint at [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 "The Crystal Empire"]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E3TooManyPinkiePies "Too Many Pinkie Pies"]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E5MagicDuel "Magic Duel"]], and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure "Magical Mystery Cure"]] just right, an arc about the progression of Twilight's magical training might be discerned, but it probably wasn't planned as such.** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E2PrincessTwilightSparklePart2 The opener]] of Season 4 kicks off a season-long adventure arc with the mysterious box from the Tree of Harmony and the search for the keys thereto. The six keys take the form of objects that the main characters are given when they demonstrate the importance of their Element to someone else, culminating in the two-part season finale, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Kingdom"]]. There's also a secondary arc about the Equestria Games being held in the Crystal Empire which spans the third and fourth seasons, starting with [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E8JustForSidekicks "Just for Sidekicks"]] & [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E12GamesPoniesPlay "Games Ponies Play"]] and continuing through [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish "Flight to the Finish"]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E10RainbowFalls "Rainbow Falls"]], and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames "Equestria Games"]].** According to Hasbro's own website, the arc theme for Season 5 will be "Cutie Mark Magic". The season premiere is about a unicorn who can forcibly remove a pony's cutie mark (and the pony's special talents along with it), and in the fourth episode the CMC have nightmares over whether they would hate their own cutie marks and the talents that come with them.** Speaking of which, that episode was the conclusion to the trilogy of stories where Princess Luna would help the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their dreams -- [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville "Sleepless in Ponyville"]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E20ForWhomTheSweetieBelleToils "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils"]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E4BloomAndGloom "Bloom & Gloom"]] -- which played out OnceASeason for three consecutive years.* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Twilight Sparkle is the Straight Girl to Pinkie Pie's Wise Gal.* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Spike's nickname for Rainbow Dash in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E9BridleGossip Bridle Gossip]]" was "Rainbow Crash". [[spoiler:It turns out to also be her nickname while she was in Pegasus flight school.]]** Also, Spike and Princess Celestia have remarkably similar thought patterns, such as trying to get Twilight to lighten up and make some friends in the pilot, and encouraging the mane cast to hang out together as a group at the Grand Galloping Gala rather than splitting off to do their own things (since the Gala itself is kind of a boring party anyway).* StrictlyFormula: In the first season, characters learn [[AnAesop a valuable lesson about friendship]] pretty much every episode (usually after one of the characters causes a problem or conflict by acting ignorant or confrontational), and then Twilight Sparkle [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle writes a letter]] to her mentor [[PrincessesRule Princess]] [[TheDumbledore Celestia]] summing the lesson up in a few sentences. As of "Lesson Zero" other characters can write letters to Celestia as well, and a few episodes involve no closing letter at all, but AnAesop about friendship is still always present.** A side formula is always present in episodes involving the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with the three fillies trying to take up some new activity or talent in order to earn their cutie marks ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption with inevitable failure]]). Usually this causes some problem or embarrassment that merges into the Friendship Aesop formula above.* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: More or less a [[RuleOfFunny rule of the show]], with power levels not remaining consistent even within a single episode.* StylisticSuck: ** When the Cutie Mark Crusaders enter a talent show in an attempt to earn their cutie marks, they each cover roles more suited to one of the other fillies. The result is, well...[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYt3hEmAtE this]]. [[spoiler:They end up winning "best comedy act" as it had the audience laughing so hard, and pretended it was [[IMeantToDoThat all part of the act.]] You even hear Scootaloo's voice actress [[{{Corpsing}} start to crack up]] at the end of one of her lyrics.]] ** Pinkie's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha8okYgmHF8 Wonderbolt Rap]] in "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" is deliberately made to look like a cheesy 90's-era rap video, completely with reduced audio/video quality, a different aspect ratio, and VHS artifacts.** Spike's rendition of the Cloudsdale anthem in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]''.* SubcultureOfTheWeek: An episode in the 4th season of ''HotInCleveland'' gives a nod to the show and its adult fandom.* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: Sweetie Bell's song in "Hearts and Hooves Day" [[HilariousInHindsight/MyLittlePony Hilarious In Hindsight]] for fans of FriendshipIsWitchcraft.* SuddenAnatomy: Applies to pony eyebrows not just on an individual-case basis but as a rule. They don't normally have them, but automatically generate some whenever they wear an expression that needs them. Also unlike the usual case, it's so subtle and looks so natural that it's easy to miss.* SugarApocalypse: [[spoiler:Discord gives Rainbow Dash a vision of Cloudsdale crumbling away to convince her to throw the game that they're playing. Possibly {{Subverted|Trope}} in that we never personally see whether it was actually happening or not. Played straight when Discord throws the rest of Equestria into chaos after the "game" ends.]]** Literally the case: the first signs of Discord's SugarApocalypse are cotton candy clouds that make sweet chocolate rain.** [[spoiler:Much like Applejack's vision of the mane ponies' friendship ending leaving out critical details, he allows Rainbow Dash to end the game by making the ''wrong'' choice - taking the wings. He lets her ''assume'' that staying in the game will doom Cloudsdale while in fact it is taking the wings and leaving that would do so as Equestria falls into permanent chaos.]]* SugarBowl: The show takes place in a world where ponies can move the clouds around to make it rain or shine, and plants and animals need to be ''told'' to grow or hibernate. Thus, [[PaintingTheFrostOnWindows changing seasons is a large community project]]. The inhabitants are so accustomed to this way of life that [[TheLostWoods the Everfree Forest]] - an untamed wilderness where animals take care of themselves, plants grow on their own, and weather occurs independently of pony intervention - is considered [[EldritchLocation spooky and unnatural]]. And again, there are monsters aplenty.** Not that Ponyville (or Equestria as a whole) is a paradise on Earth. Plenty of [[FantasticRacism species intolerance]] (the townsponies' reaction to Zecora, the racial conflicts between the three types of ponies depicted in "Hearth's Warming Eve," etc.) and generally bad attitudes (the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown "Putting Your Hoof Down"]] is chock-full of Ponyville residents acting like real douches) are present. That's not to mention the various monsters that are quite willing to kill anypony they come across (the main protagonist was TakenForGranite offscreen by a random monster in one episode), the occasional but regular nation-/worldwide threats posed by [[MadGod rogue]] [[GodOfEvil gods]] and [[VileVillainSaccharineShow cruel dictators]], and ''[[HellGate the gate to]] [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Tartarus itself]]'' less than a day's trot away.* SuperheroEpisode: ** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E8TheMysteriousMareDoWell "The Mysterious Mare Do Well"]] features the eponymous masked superhero. [[spoiler: It's actually Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie taking turns wearing the suit.]]** The season 4 episode "Power Ponies" features the Mane Cast getting sucked into an enchanted comic book and taking on the roles of the members of the eponymous superhero group.[[/folder]]----